Partners
by BeachBum87
Summary: She's the only one who can save him...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I know. I know. Please, just bare with me a little bit longer. I promise you'll be glad that you did...  
**

**PARTNERS**

Three military vehicles travel in a single file line through the desert following closely behind one another. They bounce over the sandy dunes haphazardly, jostling their passengers about wildly. The ride to the extraction point has taken over 2 hours at present, and the convoy is slowly approaching its final destination.

A small squad of marines occupies the vehicle leading the pack, and Special Agents' Callen and Hanna ride in the second car also accompanied by several heavily armed marines. In the third car, Agent Kensi Blye and Detective Marty Deeks ride with two other marines and their captive—Hassan.

"I'll be so glad when all this is over." Deeks remarks as he braces himself against yet another hard bump in the road.

"What's the matter Deeks, homesick?" Kensi asks.

Deeks arches a brow at the brunette sitting across from him in the backseat of the vehicle. "You do realize it's been almost two weeks since my last surf session." Deeks replies. "I feel like a fish out of water here."

"Aww, you poor thing." Kensi says with a smirk.

Deeks nods knowingly, and lets out a sigh. "You're enjoying this, aren't you Fern? So what, you get a kick out of other people's misery?"

Kensi chuckles. "Nope, just yours." She replies with a wink.

"I see."

Deeks and Kensi have always been like this ever since their first assignment together. However, despite the continuous flow of charming banter and witty repartee between them, they have actually grown quite close to one another over the last couple of years.

Kensi's features seem to take on an expression of seriousness as she sits staring across the way at her shaggy-haired partner. "So, about our deal-" she begins seriously, as her mismatched eyes search his Pacific Ocean Blues.

"You're not getting cold feet on me now, are ya?" Deeks cuts in, a small grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

Their deal is another reason why Deeks can hardly wait to return to L.A.. Before they left the big city, just two weeks prior, the partners had finally confronted each other about the feelings they both harbored for one another. It seemed crazy to just keep ignoring the heat that so obviously exists between them, and thus their 'deal' was forged-a 'date night'.

Kensi scoffs. "Cold feet, me? Never. You?"

Deeks smiles widely at his partner. "Not a chance, princess."

To Deeks' left Hassan scoffs, and then mumbles something in his native tongue. Although the words he speaks are incoherent, the inflection with which they are spoken says volumes alone.

"I'm not sure what you just said," Deeks says, as he throws a glance over at their prisoner. "But it didn't sound very nice."

After a brief moment of silence Kensi clears her throat, and pulls Deeks' attention back to her once more. "So, what do you think we should do for our…_date night_?" she asks.

"I do have a few ideas." Deeks says thoughtfully, as he tilts his head slightly to one side.

Kensi rolls her eyes at her partner because she knows what he's thinking about. "I see, and tell me—do any of those ideas involve seeing me naked?"

"What can I say…I'm an optimist." he remarks with a grin.

Kensi remains silent for a while after his last remark, and Deeks can sense the uneasiness that has settled over the beautiful brunette. "Hey, Kens-" he says softly.

She looks up at her partner, obviously startled out of whatever trance she may have been in, and stares into his piercing blue eyes. "What?" she blurts without thinking.

"You know I'm kidding right?" he asks in a quiet, serious tone. "Look, Kens, I don't want you to over think this. You've got nothing to prove."

Truth be told, however, she has a lot to prove. Not to him, but to herself. She knows full well how he feels about her-she always has. Her own feelings towards him are equally strong. Still, she can't quite look at herself in a mirror without feeling somewhat incomplete. It's a chip she's carried ever since Jack. She just can't shake the notion that maybe she doesn't have what it takes to make a relationship successful.

She nods slowly. "No, I know." She replies in an equally quiet voice. "Its just that-"

Suddenly, something outside jars the vehicle violently. "What was that?" Deeks asks nervously. Even as he says the words, a knot begins to form in his stomach.

"Probably nothing." One of the soldiers in the front seat replies.

"Maybe." Kensi says under her breath. "Hold on…Callen. Sam." She says into her helmet radio. She waits several beats for an answer from the duo riding just ahead of their vehicle.

"We read you…go ahead." Callen replies over the radio.

"You guys experience anything unusual up there?" Kensi asks.

"Not really, why?" Sam asks curiously.

"Anyone else hear ominous music, or is it just me?" Deeks remarks as he shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

Kensi shoots her partner a look, but then turns her attention back to the radio. "We experienced some kind of turbulence back here, and-"

BBOOOOOOOMMMMMM!

The vehicle is thrown up into the air along with a cloud of smoke and sand that billows upward in its wake. Seconds later it comes crashing back to earth upside down, and with small flames issuing out from several places along its structure.

In the front seat of the compromised vehicle the driver is already dead, and the soldier in the passenger seat is struggling to free himself from his harness. After a few seconds he manages to free himself from the pesky restraint, and then begins to pull himself out through the nearby broken window.

"Everyone out." He calls as he pulls himself free of the wreckage.

He taps into his helmet radio and begins calling for help almost immediately. "Car three is down. I repeat, Car three is d-" Just then, as he turns around to check on the rest of the vehicles' passengers, a bullet cuts through the air with lightning speed and precision and pierces his helmet. He drops dead just inches from the overturned vehicle.

Deeks opens his eyes a few seconds later, and immediately looks across the way towards his partner. "Kensi, wake up." He calls to her urgently. He can already smell the smoke wafting in through a shattered window, and he knows they need to escape the burning vehicle as quickly as possible.

Kensi opens her eyes, and looks around. She manages to shake off the momentary daze she finds herself in, and quickly returns to the real world. "Deeks!?" she says worriedly, without thinking.

"I'm okay." Deeks replies as he fumbles with the buckle to his seat harness. "You?"

Kensi nods. "I'm fine. We're sitting ducks in here though…we need to get out." The female federal agent manages to undo her harness as she speaks.

"Way ahead of you partner." Deeks replies as his own harness unsnaps at last.

"Get Hassan." Kensi says as she maneuvers her body around in the cramped space of the vehicle interior. She positions herself just in front of the nearest window, and kicks out the remaining shards of glass—effectively clearing a viable exit.

Deeks shakes the still unconscious Arab until he finally opens his eyes. The man looks around nervously at first, but then his gaze finds Deeks. "So, we are still alive?"

"Yeah, lucky us."

Kensi has already crawled out through the broken window. She turns around and looks back inside to Deeks and the other man. "Come on, we're clear." She yells to the two men.

Deeks quickly unfastens the man's harness, and then guides him towards the improvised exit. "Don't even think about trying to run away." Deeks tells Hassan.

As the two men emerge from within the vehicle a hailstorm of machine gunfire suddenly cuts through the air above their heads. Kensi drops back down behind the cover of the overturned vehicle, and Deeks quickly pulls himself and Hassan down close by.

"This trip just gets better and better." Deeks mumbles under his breath. Only now does he feel the irritating sting of pain shooting up his left leg. His eyes wander down the length of the appendage until they reach the problem sight. A good-sized shard of glass protrudes out from the side of his calf muscle. Blood stains the fabric of the uniform around the fresh wound, and makes for a rather gruesome sight.

Deeks reaches out, careful not to attract his partners' attention, and with a great deal of quiet effort manages to pull the shard of glass out of his leg. He then tosses it off to one side quickly wishing that he had just left it alone. _That's not good._ He lets his head roll back against the metal of the overturned vehicle and tries to steel himself against the agonizing pain that threatens to consume him.

* * *

Not too far up ahead, the other two vehicles have screeched to a halt. The doors on all sides fly open, and their occupants emerge from within guns at the ready. The driver of the lead car quickly activates the CB radio mounted to the dashboard of the vehicle.

"Base, this is Sierra Convoy, we've been ambushed en route to extraction point. May need assistance. Please advise." The soldier repeats the transmission multiple times over the radio while awaiting an answer.

* * *

Callen and Sam emerge from within the second vehicle, but before they can move even an inch towards their downed comrades machine gunfire halts their progress.

The NCIS team leader quickly activates his helmet radio. "Kensi. Deeks." He begins as a volley of gunfire pierces the sand near his feet. "SitRep!?"

"We're okay. We've got two casualties, and we're pinned down by enemy fire." Kensi's voice filters through the radio static.

_Damn._ "So are we." Callen replies. "We're gonna try and lay down some cover fire for you guys," Callen says over the radio after a few moments of brief silence. "You guys'll have to make a run for it."

Callen looks sideways at his partner, and they exchange nods with one another. "Ready?"

"Say the word G." Sam replies over the noise of gunfire.

* * *

Just then, a second wave of gunfire erupts from the opposite direction of Kensi and Deeks' position. Now the partners, and their prisoner, are pinned on two sides.

"Shit." Deeks swears aloud as he pulls himself down even further into the sand.

"Now we're pinned on two sides!" Kensi yells into her helmet radio.

* * *

"Fuck!" Callen swears. Several other marines have joined him and Sam by now. Callen looks crossways towards one of the soldiers now standing nearby. "Do we have back-up coming or what!?" he screams over the noise.

"Reinforcements are ten minutes out, Sir." One of the soldiers calls back to Callen.

"We don't have ten minutes!" Sam calls back over his shoulder.

Callen turns back to his helmet radio. "Original plan still stands!" he yells over the radio. "Get ready to run!"

* * *

Kensi ducks to one side quickly as a barrage of gunfire comes near to where she is sitting huddled up against the side of the overturned vehicle. "Shit! There's no way—we'll be cut down before we get to our feet!"

Deeks is watching everything unfold around him, and his mind seems able to focus only on one thing. _Getting his partner out alive_. He looks back down at the jagged, blood soaked wound in his lower leg. He knows that it will prevent him from being able to run adequately. He could tell Kensi about it, but she will only want to help and that will only slow her down and make her an easy target for the enemy.

He lets his eyes wander up to his partner, and in the moment his eyes find her face it all becomes clear to him. If he's going to potentially die for someone, he's glad that it's for her. He swears again under his breath, and steels his nerves for what he knows he must do next.

"Kensi, take Hassan." He yells over the noisy gunfire blazing all around them. "When Callen says run, you Go!?

Kensi looks at her partner with a confused look spread across her features. "What!?"

"I'll cover you from here." He tells her, and he can already see the doubt clouding her mismatched eyes. He hates lying to her, he always has, but he knows right now that that one little lie just might save her life. "Hey, don't worry. I'll be right behind you, I promise." He says, feigning a confident smile, which he hopes will help sell the little white lie.

"Right behind me?"

He nods, and at the same time primes the assault rifle he's carrying for immediate use. "Right behind you." He reiterates his false promise. "All the way."

She nods at last, and he knows that she's bought his little fib.

She flips on her helmet radio once more, and radios the new plan to her teammates several yards away. "You guys ready!?" she asks at last.

Deeks takes one last look at the beautiful brunette that he counts himself so fortunate to have known, and nods one last time. "Go for it." He tells her.

"We're headed your way now!" she yells into her radio.

Callen, Sam, and several of the other soldiers begin laying down cover fire on one side, and Deeks quickly drags himself up to his feet and does the same on his side. Kensi grabs Hassan, and the two of them dash out from behind the overturned vehicle, which has protected them up to this point.

* * *

Somehow, they make it across to the safety of the convoy's remaining two vehicles. Two of the soldiers immediately grab Hassan and quickly shove him into the second car. Kensi spins on her heel after catching her breath, and searches for her partner.

"Where is he?" she says as her eyes scan the horizon.

Callen activates his radio once more, and tries to contact Deeks. "Deeks, where the hell are you!?" the team leader yells into his radio.

Deeks' voice crackles over the radio static. "What are you guys waiting for!? Get moving!" he yells back over the radio.

"We're waiting on you!" Callen yells back angrily.

"Negative." Deeks replies. "I'm wounded, G. I'll just slow you down. Leave me."

Kensi has been listening to the whole conversation between Deeks and Callen, and her heart is now beating wildly inside her chest. "No," she blurts out. "No, we're not leaving him. Deeks, I'm coming back for you." She says into her own radio.

She tosses her helmet into the sand, and then quickly drops some of the other 'heavier' gear that she was required to wear for this mission. Nearby, Callen is silent for the longest time as if he's listening to something on his radio.

Kensi readies herself for the dash back across the sandy dunes to retrieve her partner. Suddenly, a pair of arms wraps around her midsection, and begin pulling her backwards towards the waiting vehicles.

"Its too late." Callen whispers into her ear. "We gotta go."

"No. No!" Kensi shouts as she struggles against the team leaders grip. "Let me go, G. I can't leave him!"

"Sorry Kens. No choice."

"Tell her I'm sorry." Deeks' voice comes through the radio, and reaches the muscular black man's ears.

"We will." Sam replies as he helps Callen shove Kensi into the waiting vehicle so that they can get back underway.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: I would like to apologize for the sudden story change. I had so many issues with the original first chapter that I decided it would probably be best if I just started over, and I have to say I am really glad that I did. Please, just bare with me, and I promise all your patience WILL be rewarded.**

**P.S. I am currently working on Chapter Two as I type this last little note, and hope to get said chapter** **posted ASAP. Thanks again, and Happy Reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: There was a reason that I left the first chapter the way I did. I omitted a few scenes from the end, because I wanted to leave you guys guessing for a while, and I am hoping that my gamble pays off, and that this chapter serves its purpose well.**

**Secondly, I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter as well as the first, and I also hope that you guys will continue to join me for more adventures later on. **

**Thirdly, I want to thank every one of you for all of your comments/reviews—I thrive on them. Your feedback is what keeps me going most nights, so thanks ever so much! **** ENJOY!**

**Chapter 2**

**One Month Later…**..

"_I'll cover you from here….I'll be right behind you, I promise….All the way…."_

Kensi sits up in the bed startled awake by the same tormenting nightmare she's had every night since returning home from the Middle East. She's drenched all over in sweat, and her heart thunders wildly in her chest. She glances over at the alarm clock—3:35 a.m. Its official, its been exactly one month since the mission in Iraq. She hasn't been able to forgive herself for the way that mission ended.

Of course, a rescue team had been sent out to search for Deeks several hours after their departure, but by then there was no sign of the wounded LAPD Detective. They were all told later that the chances of finding Deeks still alive were extremely slim, and that they should not get their hopes up. Still, after a months time has passed she can't seem to shake the nagging feeling in her heart that he's out there, somewhere, alive, and waiting to be rescued.

Kensi peels back the cover and the sheets, and stumbles quickly out of the bed. She heads for the nearby master bathroom, her stomach rolling over and over the whole way. She just manages to turn on the lights, and make the few steps to the toilet before losing it completely. She hangs over the porcelain bowl for several minutes afterwards just to make sure she's really finished before she pulls herself up from the floor. She moves to the sink and dabs at her mouth and face with a washcloth, and then begins brushing her teeth vigorously.

As she looks into the mirror she can hardly stand it. The shame and guilt she feels is too overwhelming, and within seconds the tears come streaking down her cheeks as forcefully as if they were falling from Niagara Falls. She does not try to stop them. No, she lets them flow freely and uninterrupted. She sinks to her knees there in the bathroom sobbing uncontrollably, and eventually winds up leaning back against the nearby tub.

* * *

The bedroom door opens slowly, nudged open by Kensi's newest best friend. The shaggy-haired, four-footed critter scampers through the master bedroom in search of the source of the sorrowful wails that awakened him from his slumber in the kitchen only moments before. Eventually he finds his way to the bathroom, and upon reaching it he finds the brunette beauty crumpled in a heap against the tub.

* * *

Kensi looks up and sees the shaggy-haired mutt standing in the doorway staring in at her. "Sorry boy…I didn't mean to wake you." She sniffles. Like his master before him, Monty has a knack for always being there when Kensi needs him the most.

Monty trots into the bathroom, and settles on the floor beside Kensi. Kensi rescued Monty from Deeks' place after returning from Iraq, and gave him a home so he wouldn't have to be alone or worse—end up down at the pound. The LAPD had declared Deeks dead after the first two weeks, and had then held a hero's memorial in his honor. Not that they really cared about him, but because it was what they did after losing one of their own in the line-of-duty, or at least that was how they'd put it.

She had been notified sometime later that his apartment was going to be seized by the bank since, obviously, he could no longer make the payments himself to keep it. Kensi had then taken it upon herself to rescue Monty and the rest of Deeks' possessions, most of which she tucked away in storage for safekeeping.

"Its my fault…all my fault." She sniffles as she runs her hand gently down Monty's back. "I didn't fight hard enough…I just left him there."

Monty turns his head, and lays it carefully in Kensi's lap. The retired police dog has been Kensi's salvation through everything since her return home a month ago. She is eternally grateful for the mutt's devotion and loyalty, which in her mind mirrors what she experienced from his master on so many different occasions during their partnership.

"You should hate me, you know that?" Kensi tells him as she swipes at her eyes with the back of her hand. "But you're too much like your master."

After a while the tears finally subside, but Kensi knows she'll never be able to get back to sleep. So she decides, instead, to take a shower and put on some coffee—since its still too early for Starbucks.

She hoists herself to her feet, patting the loyal dog gently on the top of the head as she moves, and then begins to peel off her sweaty nightclothes. She lets each layer drop to the floor in a pile near the edge of the tub. When she turns on the water in the tub, Monty gets up and scurries out of the room, but he only goes as far as the massive queen-sized bed—which he settles into the center of.

_Well, maybe there is one thing that Master and Mans' Best Friend don't share—a love of the water._ Kensi steps into the tub, and after a few seconds spent adjusting the temperature of the water she turns on the shower-head.

* * *

Elsewhere….

4:00 A.M.

Callen lays wide-awake on the sofa in his living room. He wasn't able to find sleep in his bed, so why he felt the sofa would yield better results is still a mystery. He stares up at the ceiling lost in thoughts of that shitty day nearly a month ago. Its bothered him ever since then—_Did I make the right call? I was following orders, but was that the right thing to do?_

_Kensi is stripping out of some of her heavier gear, and getting ready to head back for her partner. Callen watches silently until a voice comes through his helmet radio. "Stop her Agent Callen. We have a very small window, and its rapidly closing. You need to get Hafeez to the extraction point, and out of the country ASAP. That's an order."_

"_Sir?" Callen says questioningly. "Are you serious? We can't just leave'em-"_

"_You have your orders, Agent Callen. I suggest you follow them." The voice booms over the radio. The radio goes silent afterward._

"_Damnit." Callen swears to himself, as he turns and moves quickly to intercept Kensi. _

Callen sits up on the sofa and draws in a ragged breath as he stares out into the darkened room. The significance of this day weighs heavily upon his shoulders, and he knows by now that sleep is not going to come any time soon.

He stands up finally, and walks towards the kitchen. His mind slowly forms a new plan for passing the next few hours before for work, and it includes a fresh pot of coffee and a lengthy, early-morning run.

* * *

Several Hours Later….

Kensi is snuggled up with Monty on the sofa in her living room. A cup of coffee sits, half-empty, on the nearby coffee table and the female federal agent seems lost in a haze of past memories. They swirl through her mind as fresh as if they'd only happened yesterday. All those times Deeks had saved her life replaying in slow motion right before her eyes.

She isn't totally sure she'll be able to make it through the day without losing it again, like she had just a few hours ago. She has to try though, that much is certain, but it won't be an easy task.

Monty suddenly sits up and gives a yelp.

Kensi is startled out of her trance, and looks to the shaggy-haired mutt beside her. "What is it?" she asks.

Monty gives another shrill yelp, but this time he actually clambers down off of the sofa and scurries into the kitchen.

Kensi pulls herself to her feet, and follows after the dog. "Monty." She calls after him.

She enters the kitchen seconds later, and finds Monty standing still in the center of the room. She notices that he is obviously looking at something, and so she follows his gaze upwards as another yelp fills the space around her.

"What are you looking at boy?" she wonders aloud.

Her eyes finally reach the object that Monty seems so obsessed with all of a sudden. It turns out to be the big clock that hangs over the breakfast nook that has captivated the shaggy-haired mutt. Then she notices the time displayed across its face—7:00 a.m.

She realizes that she must have lost all track of time while sitting with Monty on the sofa. She was in such a trance that she had not heard the clock chiming away in here, but Monty apparently had. It seems, however unlikely, that Monty was simply letting her know that she was going to be late for work.

Kensi kneels down next to the dog, who then plops down onto his bottom before her. She pats him lovingly on the top of his head, and quietly thanks him. "Thanks boy," she whispers. "You're always looking out for me, aren't you?" she adds with a gentle smile.

She scolds herself frequently now for never actually telling Deeks how much he meant to her, and as a coping mechanism for dealing with her guilt she makes a point of always remembering to thank Monty for filling the role left vacant by her absent partner.

10 Minutes Later….

She's managed to get ready for work in record time, and now she grabs her purse and car keys off of the kitchen counter. She says one last goodbye to Monty, and then she's out the door and off to work.

* * *

Callen shuffles into the mission around 7:30 a.m. It's been a rough morning already, and he's hoping for a mission to take his mind off of the significance of the day. He sees his partner's things at the desk as he steps around into the bullpen. He sets his own things down by his desk, and looks around for signs of anyone else, but finds nothing.

_Sam's things are here, but no Sam. He must be in the gym working out._

Callen heads off for the gymnasium where he hopes he'll find his partner.

* * *

Callen strolls into the gym, and sure enough there he finds Sam hammering away furiously at the heavy bag. Beads of sweat trickle down the muscular black man's face, neck, shoulders, and arms. He's obviously been at it for quite some time.

Sam's fists strike the heavy bag with such force that it's almost a miracle he hasn't shattered his hands. His mind is elsewhere, not in the gym with the rest of him. Voices echo in his ears, and images spin around and around in his head. He finds himself back in that desert nearly a month ago.

_Callen is trying to get Kensi into the waiting vehicle so that they can leave. Behind him, Sam seems to be caught up in some kind of internal struggle with himself. Everything that the ex-Navy SEAL has ever been taught, ever believed, dances before his eyes._

"_This isn't right." He says to himself. _

"_Sam." Callen calls to his partner._

_Sam snaps out of his trance, and looks up at Callen. "A SEAL never leaves a man behind…Ever." Sam says with conviction. "I'm going back for him, G."_

_Sam turns on his heel, and starts off in Deeks' direction. Callen quickly pushes himself away from the vehicle, and tries to pursue his partner. "Wait, Sam!"_

_Suddenly, an RPG strikes the ground some several yards away, and the resulting blast knocks Sam backwards onto his stomach. Callen is also knocked off balance by the explosion. At about the same time, several other RPGs explode around them._

_After several seconds pass, Sam finally comes around—though dazed and disoriented. He pushes himself up onto his hands knees, and tries to shake off the haze that seems to have settled over him. Everything is moving in slow motion now, and the ringing that fills his ears is utterly painful to say the very least._

_He reaches for the assault rifle that has landed several feet away, and then finally pulls himself all the way to his feet. That's when he notices his partner laying flat on his back, semi-conscious just a few feet away. "G." Sam calls out as he staggers towards his partner. "G!"_

_Callen stirs, and then after a few seconds begins to pull himself up out of the sand. "I'm okay." Callen calls back, still somewhat dazed by the force that knocked him over._

_An explosion several yards behind him suddenly catches his attention, and he turns around quickly and is greeted by a horrific sight. The area where the ambushed convoy vehicle had once been now seems to be engulfed by bright, soaring flames._

_Sam can hardly believe what he is seeing._

Sam stops suddenly. He senses that he's no longer alone anymore, even though his back is turned to the doorway. His entire body heaves where he stands, as he sucks in deep breaths of air.

"You too, hunh?" Callen asks. He knows now why Sam is torturing himself on the heavy bag.

"We messed up G." Sam says at last, his voice somber in tone as he speaks.

"We had no choice, Sam." Callen replies, rationalizing their actions, not just to Sam, but also to himself for the umpteenth time. "We did our best. There was nothing else we could've done." He adds.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: Okay, so before you guys get all hateful on me, I just want to say one thing. I have a HUGE surprise for you guys in the next chapter, and I really, really think you're all going to LOVE IT! So, please bear with me. I promise your patience will be rewarded.**


	3. Chapter 3

IRAQ...

One Day Earlier….

A U.S. military patrol is rolling through the streets of a small village in Iraq. The late afternoon sun is setting low on the horizon, and a light breeze kicks up a bit of sand towards the soldiers. They're shift on patrol will be over soon, and afterward another unit will take their place. This is a good thing because most of the men in the group are extremely tired.

"Sir, this sector's all clear." one soldier says to the pack's leader, Gunnery Sargent Paul Driscoll.

"Alright. Pack'em up. I'll call it in." Driscoll replies.

"Yes sir." the soldier replies with a nod. He then turns around and heads back towards his buddies.

Suddenly, a young Arab boy appears just down the street. He is running towards the patrol carrying something in his hand. By all appearances he seems quite tired, and somewhat out of breath. The young boy is stopped about halfway by a couple of the nearest soldiers. The boy tries desperately to make the soldiers understand what it is he needs from them. However, it is no use as the two soldiers do not speak the boy's native language.

The commanding officer notices the commotion between the young boy and the soldiers, and decides to intervene. "Pulaski. Johnson. Let him through." Driscoll calls out to his men.

The two soldiers do as they are ordered, and the young boy passes through and within seconds stands before the Gunny. Driscoll looks over towards another group of his men standing together just across the way, and he calls out to one of them in particular. "Rodriguez, get over here!"

A younger, Latino-looking man parts from the group he's standing with, and jogs over to join the Gunny. "Whatcha need Gunny?" the man asks.

"I need you to translate what he's saying." the Gunny says to the man. "Ask him what he wants?" he adds, pointing to the young boy.

Rodriguez nods to the Gunny, and then turns his attention to the young boy. The two converse easily, and after a few moments the young boy extends his hand to Rodriguez. Resting in the palm of the young boy's hand is a silver-colored thumb drive. Rodriguez accepts the thumb drive, and then says a few more words to the young boy.

"What he say?" the Gunny asks at last.

Rodriguez turns to his commanding officer, and holds up the thumb drive. "He says some men approached him on the other side of the village. They paid him to deliver this thumb drive to the first Americans he saw."

"Us." the Gunny says aloud.

"Yes sir." Rodriguez replies. "He also says that the men who approached him said it was very important, and mentioned NCIS."

"NCIS?" the Gunny repeats the agency's initials aloud.

"Yes sir."

* * *

Present Day….

Kensi arrives at OSP a whole thirty minutes late, and the frustration she feels is clearly painted across her face. She pulls her SRX into its usual parking spot, and after putting it into park and shutting off the engine, she hastily gathers up her purse, her badge, and her gun. She exits the vehicle and walks hard and fast towards the entrance to the mission.

* * *

Inside, Callen and Sam are already in the bullpen chatting idly about anything other than that, which vexes them at present. Kensi steps through the door, and immediately heads into the bullpen area. She reaches her desk, and begins to silently put away her things. The others can tell that her morning hasn't exactly been sunshine and rainbows either.

"Rough morning?" Callen asks quietly.

Kensi stops what she is doing, and takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly in an attempt to calm herself down first. "Something like that." she says at last.

Sam nods understandingly in her direction. "Join the club." he says quietly, leaning back a bit in his chair.

"Hetty here yet?" Kensi asks.

"Yeah, she's in her office. Why?" Callen asks, as he puts away the newspaper he had been trying to read earlier.

"Its really none of your business." Kensi snaps without thinking. She lets out a long sigh, and shakes her head lightly. "I'm sorry, G-I didn't mean to-"

Callen waves his hand dismissively at the female federal agent. "Forget about it." he says quietly. "I understand...rough morning." he reiterates. He and Sam both understand where Kensi is coming from, especially this morning of all mornings. The significance of the day weighs heavily upon all of them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sam notices a sheet of paper lying on the floor that seems to have fallen out of Kensi's purse. He leans over and carefully snatches the document from its resting place, and starts to hand it back to Kensi. Then he notices a name scribbled in the lower left-hand corner of the document-Benjamin Gray. Its a name he's seen before, multiple times.

"Again?" Sam says, arching his brow at Kensi.

"What's that?" she asks, unsure of what he's holding at first. "Wait, is that-" Kensi reaches across the way, and quickly snatches the piece of paper from Sam's fingers. "That's mine."

"What is it?" Callen asks, looking to his partner.

Sam shakes his head. "She got pulled over again." Sam explains.

Callen's mouth drops open a few inches. He turns back to face Kensi once more with a disappointed look spread across his features. "Officer Gray?"

"Yep. One-and-the-same." Sam remarks.

In the last few weeks Kensi has managed to rack up three separate traffic tickets. Each of the tickets that were issued came from the very same LAPD Officer Benjamin Gray. Kensi, as well as Sam and Callen, knows that he's only doing it because he thinks he's punishing her for what happened to Deeks. Apparently, Gray and Deeks had been partner's way back before Deeks made Detective. She thinks she remembers Deeks telling her once that he and Gray didn't exactly part on good terms, but Gray's attitude towards her during the last month has been quite to the contrary.

Kensi quickly stuffs the piece of paper into her purse, and then plops down into her chair. "Its fine." she says insistently. "I've got it handled."

"Yeah, I'll say." Sam snorts.

Kensi shoots Sam a dirty look, but does not say anything.

"Kensi, you need to talk to someone down at the police station about Gray." Callen tells her. "You can't let him keep harassing you like this." he adds.

Kensi shakes her head at the team leader. "What good would it do?" Her voice is a little shaky as she speaks. "Everyone at LAPD hates us right now, and honestly, I can't say I blame them."

"G's right, Kens." Sam chimes in with a soft voice.

"Right about what?" a familiar voice says from just outside the bullpen area. Special Projects Manager, Henrietta 'Hetty' Lange, has always had a knack for being able to sneak up on her agents when they least expect it. It is a skill that she takes a great deal of pride in, and never wastes an opportunity to use it.

The three special agents sitting in the bullpen look up immediately upon hearing the sound of Hetty's voice nearby. Hetty stands with her hands folded neatly behind her back waiting patiently for one of her agents to answer her.

"It's nothing Hetty." Kensi replies quickly. "I just need to leave early today, if that's okay?"

Hetty nods understandingly at the tan-skinned woman. "I take it you had another encounter with our friend, Mr. Gray?"

"I can handle it, Hetty. Really." Kensi says quietly, her mismatched eyes pleading with Hetty's to just let it go.

"Very well." Hetty replies. "Now then, I trust you all got a peaceful night's rest?"

"Depends on your definition of peaceful." Callen remarks, as he rubs his weary eyes with one hand.

"I see."

* * *

In the Ops Centre, Eric and Nell are working on separate terminals, and chatting with each other as they work. They too are saddened by the significance of the day. Fortunately, they seem to have found solace in each other's company.

"I still can't believe he's gone." Eric says with a sigh, as he looks over to a photograph of him and Deeks together down at the beach. The photo was taken several months earlier at a local surfing competition.

"I know." Nell replies win agreement. "I wonder how Kensi's doing?"

"I dunno. She took it harder than anyone else though."

Suddenly, a beeping sound coming from the computers alerts the pair to an incoming message. Eric quickly keys in the proper command sequence, and within seconds a live video feed opens up on the viewing screen before them.

"Gunnery Sargent Paul Driscoll reporting." The man on the screen says almost immediately.

Nell steps out in front of the screen, and greets the soldier. "Yes sir, how can we help you this morning?"

"NCIS?" the man says uncertainly.

"Yes sir, that's us." Nell replies.

"My men and I have come into some intel that you folks might be interested in." the Gunny says with a nod.

"To be honest, we're not entirely sure. We're kinda hoping maybe you folks can help us with that." The Gunny explains. "It's on a thumb drive, and its encrypted." He adds.

"We could certainly try." Nell replies with a nod.

The Gunnery Sargent nods, and then turns and waves his hand to someone outside the camera's line of sight. After a few seconds he turns back to face the camera. "We're sending you the intel now." He tells them.

Eric glances down at his terminal. He punches in a sequence of keys across the keyboard, and then within seconds a long bar appears across the screen. "Receiving data." Eric calls out to Nell.

It takes about 10 minutes for the upload to finish. Afterward, Nell thanks the Gunnery Sargent, and then their transmission is disconnected.

"Keep us informed." The Gunny says, and then gives a quick salute.

"We will, Sir." Nell replies.

As soon as the transmission is concluded, Eric begins the decryption process on the intel they just received. To his surprise, the decryption process only takes a few seconds.

"Wow, must have been a low-level encryption." He muses aloud.

Eric begins to analyze the information being displayed across the screen at his terminal. "Looks like there's a video imbedded in here."

"Play it." Nell tells him.

"Playing the video…now."

After a few moments, Nell and Eric suddenly find themselves staring wide-eyed at the viewing screen before them. They can hardly believe what they're seeing, and yet they ARE seeing it. They finally exchange shocked glances at each other.

"I can't believe it…we need to get everyone up here, now." Eric says aloud.

* * *

_A man sits eerily still in the center of a slightly darkened room. He sits in a chair with his hands tied behind his back. He's covered from head to toe in blood, sweat, and grit. His clothes are torn and tattered, and his shaggy hair is messy and in some places matted down against his head. He hangs his head low against his chest, and avoids eye contact with the camera that is setup just several feet away. All in all, this man is in pretty bad shape._

_ The man in the chair is none other than LAPD's own Detective Marty Deeks._

_ A second man appears from off camera holding some kind of cattle-prod type instrument in his right hand. He slowly walks towards Deeks._

_ "They abandoned you. Left you here to die. Still, you protect them. Why is that?" the man with the low, raspy voice says as he nears his prisoner. The man speaks with what is clearly a middle-eastern accent._

_ Deeks does not respond. He remains silent and still._

_ The second man flips a switch on the device in his hand, and several loose sparks jump out from its long, pointed tip. "Hmm," the man scoffs. "Maybe this will loosen those lips." He jabs the device at Deeks' side._

_ Almost instantly, Deeks begins to writhe in agony as jolts of powerful electricity course through his body. He lets out a long, howl of pain just before his captor pulls the device away from his side. He is breathing quite heavily now._

_ "What say you now?" the man with the raspy voice asks, a smirk spreading across his face._

_ "Go to hell." Deeks spits back at the man._

_ "That's your answer for everything, is it not?" The man says as he presses the device against Deeks' side once again. The man in the chair writhes and squirms in agony all over again. _

_ Afterward, Deeks seems even more defiant than before. "Why don't you just kill me, hunh!? I mean, obviously I'm not the 'gold mine' of information you were hoping for."_

_ The man with the raspy voice looks Deeks over with his eyes. "No, Perhaps not. But, there are other uses for someone like you." He says as he presses the device against Deeks' side for the third time._

* * *

Hetty, Callen, Sam, and Kensi all stand in the Ops Centre watching the video clip that Eric and Nell found imbedded in the data sent to them by Gunnery Sargent Paul Driscoll.

Hetty is at a complete loss for words. Her eyes are moist, and glisten with the hint of fresh tears forming in the corners. She silently looks around the room at the rest of her team, and sees pretty much the same reaction in each of their faces as well.

"I don't believe it." Sam mutters.

At the very back of the room, Kensi is standing with her eyes shut tight as tears stream down her cheeks. Every time she hears him scream in the video her heart jumps in her chest, and it's almost too much to bear. The pain that he is enduring is tearing her apart inside, andshe can't help but whisper quiet "I'm sorry's".

"Eric, that's enough." Callen says suddenly.

Eric presses a button on his console, and pauses the video. "Sorry." He says apologetically to the team.

"At the end of the video, our mysterious captor offers a trade." Nell explains. She and Eric had already watched the whole video before calling the rest of the team up to the Ops Centre to view it themselves. "His man, for ours."

"We've got 48 hours to comply, or Deeks is-" Eric starts in.

"Dead." Sam finishes the sentence for Eric.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: Chapter Four will be the most dramatic and intense chapter yet, and will be considerably longer than previous chapters. That said, I hope that you guys will join me again for the next thrilling episode in the "Partners" Saga. ENJOY! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Warning. Before you start this chapter, please know that it will probably leave you with more questions, than it does answers. That said-Good luck **

**Author's Note 2: Thanks again to all my loyal readers for your comments/feedback—it is the lifeblood of any writer.**

**P.S. Also, I should note that I changed the name of one character, simply because I wasn't satisfied with the one I originally started out with. That is all.  
**

Chapter 4

Everyone in Ops is shocked by the intense video depicting their beloved LAPD liaison, Marty Deeks, in the clutches of some rather unsavory people. They are relieved that the shaggy-haired Detective is miraculously alive, and yet at the same time they all feel the same terrible churning in their stomachs brought on by thoughts of his current predicament.

In the time following the viewing of the video, the team has taken the first steps towards securing Deeks' safe release from captivity—or so they hope. Callen has had Eric pull everything from the NCIS database pertaining to their assignment in Iraq only a month ago, codenamed 'Operation: Sierra Dawn'.

Callen and his team are pouring feverishly over said Intel, looking for anything that might hold a clue to Deeks' whereabouts. So far, they've come to the conclusion that the rebels who attacked their convoy were most likely lead by one Colonel Rahman, who is known in that part of the world for his brutal, ruthless tactics. Furthermore, the team is also assuming that this means Rahman's probably the one holding Deeks' captive. Logically, their assumptions do make good sense, as Kareem Hafeez was working for Colonel Rahman at the time of his arrest by the NCIS team.

Also, though the team is occupied with their relentless research, they are also waiting as patiently as they can for Assistant Director Owen Granger to return their earlier phone call.

Granger is currently in Washington D.C. Director Leon Vance is currently out of the country attending a conference in London, England, and so the Assistant Director was tasked with tending to things in the Director's absence.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound emanating from Eric's terminal alerts the team to an incoming call.

"Mr. Beal?"

"It's Granger. I'm putting him on now." The tech analyst says as he keys in the correct sequence on his keyboard. A minute later, Owen Granger's face appears on the giant viewing screen. The area behind the Assistant Director clearly indicates his location—MTAC.

"Hetty."

"Owen. I trust you've been briefed as to our present situation." Hetty says, bypassing the customary pleasantries.

"I see we're skipping the pleasantries today." Granger replies.

"Forgive me, but I felt it prudent to bypass such things as time is currently working against us." Hetty says apologetically.

Granger shifts his position slightly before continuing. "I suppose you're right. To answer your question—Yes. I have been made fully aware of the situation, and unfortunately my hands are _tied_."

"How so?" Hetty asks.

Granger clears his throat before speaking. "The United States government doesn't negotiate with terrorists, Hetty. Or have you forgotten?"

"No, Owen-I have not forgotten. I am well aware of our governments' position on dealing with terrorists. However, I am not asking you to agree to their demands."

The rest of the team is becoming somewhat agitated by Assistant Director Granger's attitude. Sam folds his arms across his chest and lets out an exasperated sigh. Kensi shifts uncomfortably where she stands. She feels as though they are wasting precious time that they could be using to rescue Deeks. Callen is the one who decides to finally speak up.

"With all due respect, Sir," Callen says, as he steps forward. "All we're asking is-"

"With all due respect, Agent Callen, I am well aware of what you're asking." Granger cuts in defiantly. "You want access to Kareem Hafeez, correct?"

"So we can question him, yeah." Callen replies, with a certain anxiousness evident in his voice.

"That's what I thought. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't help you. Kareem Hafeez is off limits." Granger says at last.

"Are you kidding me!?" Kensi blurts out suddenly. "My partner is being tortured by militant Islamic rebels, who by the way have threatened to kill him, and you're saying you won't help us find him." The brunette fumes angrily.

"Agent Blye, I understand you're upset about Detective Deeks. He is a valued member of your team, and I respect that. I would help you, gladly, if I could, but as I said—my hands are tied." Granger replies, clearly making a great effort to remain calm and collected.

"We understand." Hetty says evenly. Something about Granger's behavior, and overall body language isn't sitting well with the Operations Manager.

"Unless you and your team can find another way to rescue Detective Deeks, I'm afraid he's on his own." Granger adds.

"Another way, seriously!?" Kensi spits in frustration. "What do you think we've been doing for the last hour and a half—there is no _other_ way! Kareem Hafeez is our only link to Colonel Rahman. Without that, we won't find Deeks in time."

"I'm sorry." Granger replies apologetically.

Kensi starts to retort, but Hetty stops her before she gets even a single word out.

"So are we." Hetty replies over Kensi. "We appreciate your time." She adds.

On the screen, Granger turns to his left and signals to one of the tech specialists on his end to go ahead and cut the feed. Within seconds, the giant viewing screen goes dark.

"That was helpful." Callen remarks sarcastically, as he turns away from the screen.

"No kidding." Sam adds in agreement.

Kensi blows out a frustrated sigh. "I don't believe this. It's bullshit…that's what it is. Bullshit!" she says, as she turns and storms out of the Ops Centre.

"Kensi!" Callen calls after the female federal agent.

"Let her go, Mr. Callen." Hetty says calmly. "I'll tend to Ms. Blye. Like Mr. Beal and Ms. Jones, You and Mr. Hanna still have work to do here."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Callen replies incredulously.

A mysterious and mischievous twinkle appears in the tiny woman's eyes. "Oh, I'm sure the four of you will come up with something." She says over her shoulder as she heads for the exit and the staircase beyond.

* * *

In the restroom on the main floor of the mission, Kensi Blye stands over a sink. She wipes at her mouth and face with little pieces of tissue paper, and then turns on the faucet. She splashes ice-cold water over her face several times before shutting the faucet off again.

She grips the side of the sink, and stares in the mirror mounted above said appliance. Fresh tears streak down her delicate cheeks as she wrestles internally with her emotions.

_It's not fair. Deeks has saved me more times than I can count since we became partners. Now he needs me, and I can't help him. It isn't right._

After a few minutes Kensi becomes aware of the fact that she is no longer alone in the room. "I'm sorry." she says apologetically, referring to her dramatic departure from the Ops Centre.

"Don't be." Hetty replies quietly from across the room. After a brief pause she slowly begins to move towards Kensi. "I understand how much he means to you, and that all this must be very frustrating."

Kensi nods. "You have no idea, Hetty."

* * *

Back in Ops, the rest of the team is hard at work trying to find some bit of information that might turn things back in their favor. Suddenly, Eric makes a startling discovery, and he quickly informs the others.

"That's…weird." Eric says suddenly, throwing Nell a confused look.

"What is it?" Nell asks, as she leaves her seat and makes her way to Eric's terminal. "Let me see."

Nell stoops over the terminal and examines the Intel Eric has displayed across his screen. A confused look appears across her face within seconds of reading the information. "Hmm, that is strange."

By now, Callen and Sam have noticed that something is up with Eric and Nell. The partners decide to step in and see what the fuss is all about. "What's up, you guys find something?" Callen asks.

"Um, maybe." Nell replies, looking up at the two NCIS Special Agents. She turns away afterward, and heads back over to her own terminal.

"Spill it." Sam insists.

"Okay, this is what I just found." Eric presses a sequence of keys on his keyboard, and everything from his terminal is instantly transferred to the big plasma screen.

Callen and Sam move to the center of the room. "What are we supposed to be looking at, Eric?" Sam asks.

"Looks like a bunch of nothing to me." Callen remarks.

"Exactly." Eric replies, turning to face the two men. "Except it should be _something_." He adds.

"I'm not sure I follow." Callen replies, with a confused look spread across his face.

"Okay, so I was trying to bring up the files on the three marines that Kareem Hafeez murdered. I thought maybe there might be something we missed the first time…something that might help us find Deeks. Only, there gone. The files, I mean." Eric explains.

"You mean they're missing?" Sam says, looking from the plasma screen to Eric.

"I wish it was that simple." Eric replies.

Nell looks up from her own terminal finally, and turns to face the others. "Eric's right. Those files aren't just missing. It's almost like they never existed in the first place."

The wheels inside Callen's head are spinning wildly as he processes this new information given to him by the two tech analysts. "I think Hetty should see this." He says at last.

* * *

Downstairs, in the Restroom…

Hetty and Kensi are still talking when Kensi feels her cellphone vibrating in her back pocket. She reaches around, fishes it out, and reads off information on the Caller ID.

"It's Eric." She says, looking up at Hetty. "They need us back in Ops…ASAP."

Hetty nods, and gives Kensi a small wink. "Then in that case, let's not keep them waiting."

Kensi nods in agreement.

* * *

On The Other Side Of The World….

A dusty, dingy room with very dim lighting is opened up, and two armed Arab men drag a beaten and bruised Marty Deeks through the doorway. Two other men follow behind the group—one of these is Colonel Rahman. The first two men hold Deeks in an upright position near the center of the room. A third man begins to shackle Deeks' arms over his head to a length of chain suspended from a reinforced steel beam. This steel beam runs the entire length of the room.

The man nearly has the first shackle secured, but then Deeks jerks forward suddenly, startling the man. Deeks' wrist slides cleanly away from the apparatus, and then with a pained groan he lunges towards Rahman intent on killing the sadistic Colonel.

Deeks makes it only a couple of steps before being brought to his knees by a rifle butt to the gut. The blow is delivered by one of the attending guards who intervenes on his boss' behalf just in the nick-of-time. It's a cheap shot at best.

On his knees, and clutching at his mid-section Deeks wheezes rather loudly as sharp pains shoot through his upper-torso. Rahman steps forward clapping his hands slowly, and smiling widely. Clearly, Deeks' vain attempt at rebelling against his captors was somehow amusing to him.

"There is still some fight left in you after all." Rahman muses aloud. "I find it amusing…watching you resist me.

The two guards haul Deeks back to his feet. Colonel Rahman continues to speak while the third guard returns to finish the task he'd started earlier. "It's the woman." Rahman says with a smirk. "She's the source of your…spark." The look that Deeks gives him is more than enough confirmation. "Surprised? You shouldn't be…I am very well informed you see."

"Leave her out of this." Deeks growls in a low, raspy voice.

Rahman gives a quiet chuckle. "She means nothing to me," he says quietly. "But to you I can see she is everything, and that will be your undoing. To you, she represents hope, this gives you strength, and so you resist."

"Tell you what…undo these shackles, and we'll test that theory." Deeks remarks dryly.

"I'm sure." Rahman replies. "Know this," he adds, leaning in close to Deeks' ear. "I _will_ break you. Then hope will be nothing more than a meaningless memory, and the blood on your hands will be your only comfort."

Rahman takes a step back afterwards, and signals to the third guard to move on to the next phase of their plan. The tattered remnants of Deeks' thin t-shirt are ripped away from his upper-torso, and dropped to the dirt floor.

The sound of a whip cracking loudly just behind the shaggy-haired Detective heralds the suffering he will soon endure. Every muscle in his lean body tenses in response to the sound of the whip cracking behind him.

The first blow comes swiftly. A growl escapes his throat through gritted teeth, and he arches his back against the agonizing pain that shoots through his body all at once.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: Okay, so I hope that you guys enjoyed this latest installment as much I did. I also hope that I have done enough to keep you guys guessing until the next exciting chapter is posted, hopefully ASAP. Thanks Again, and don't forget the comments/feedback—they're what keep me going. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note 1: Well here it is. Chapter Five. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**Author's Note 2: Also, I just wanted to let you guy know that I will be out of town for a couple of days, so my next update maybe a few days late. But don't worry. I am going to make extra sure that the wait is so totally worth it. **

**Chapter 5**

36 Hours Remaining….

A loud whistle echoes through the mission, and within mere minutes the NCIS team is gathered once again in the Ops Centre.

Eric and Nell have been working diligently for the past several hours trying to discover the identity of the person/persons who deleted the case files from their network. Up to this point the duo has run numerous trace programs designed to ferret out the source of the hack, but with very little in the way of results…until now.

"We found a Trojan horse program, embedded inside an e-mail. The program was rather sophisticated, but Nell and I were eventually able to crack it wide open." Eric explains, as he runs his fingers across his keyboard.

"So there was a computer virus on an E-mail. Any idea where it came from?" Callen asks, curiously.

"That is an excellent question." Nell replies.

"Right. The Trojan horse program was embedded in an E-Mail that came from Director Vance's office." Eric explains. But, Nell pointed out that, while Vance is definitely good at his job, the level of sophistication used in the design of the program in question is beyond the capability of the Director. So we took a closer look at the program, and found this."

A sequence of numbers and letters appears across the center of the plasma screen. The sequence itself is highlighted with green coloring, and is set against a black background.

"It's a bunch of random numbers and letters." Kensi points out, obviously unable to discern the significance of the sequence.

"Not quite." Nell replies with a grin. "It's actually not random at all. Like any good artist, computer programmers often stamp their work with some sort of digital signature. This is mostly done for the sake of recognition among other programmers."

"So you're saying you can tell us who created the program that wiped the missing files from our network." Sam tries, folding his arms across his chest.

"Precisely." Nell replies.

"So let us see it already." Callen presses the two tech analysts.

Everyone in the room is feeling the suspense as Eric and Nell set to work initiating the decryption program they wrote just for the sake of deciphering the sequence.

The sequence on the screen shifts around rather rapidly until it reaches it final designation. Standing around the room, the NCIS team is still unsure of what it is exactly that they are looking at.

"What is it?" Sam asks, still waiting for the good news that the two tech analysts said they had.

"Its an IP Address." Eric explains. He can see that the members of the NCIS team are still not impressed. He quickly decides to just move right on to the main point. "Anyway, Nell and I ran a trace on the address, and found that the identity of our programmer was-"

Eric clicks a few more keys on his keyboard, and a personnel dossier flashes up onto the plasma screen. Across the front of the screen, now written in big, red printed letters is the word _CLASSIFIED_.

"Classified. Great." Kensi says, blowing out a frustrated sigh.

"G, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sam asks from across the room.

"Yeah, I think so." Callen replies, still staring up at the plasma screen. "Eric, think you two can unseal it?" the team leader asks.

"Already done." Nell replies, before Eric can say anything. She mouths the word _sorry_ to the other tech analyst.

Eric sighs, and then clicks a few more keys on his keyboard. "Meet…Wayne Louis." The tech analyst says triumphantly. The image on the plasma screen is of a man probably in his late twenties to early thirties, short-cropped dark hair, a slight beard, and green eyes, which are covered by horn-rimmed glasses. "And guess where he is currently employed?" Eric challenges the other team members.

"I think I can narrow the list." Callen remarks, knowing already that the answer will more than likely serve to only exacerbate his growing frustrations.

"Yeah, so can I." Sam adds.

"Eric!?" Kensi presses the tech analyst, her voice rising a couple of octaves. The female federal agent is steadily growing more and more impatient as time passes by.

Nell presses a button on her terminal, and a second page appears right beside the image of the man currently displayed on the plasma screen.

"Central Intelligence Agency." Eric reads the Intel off of his terminal's monitor.

"Damn. I knew it." Callen swears under his breath.

"Figures they'd be involved somehow." Sam remarks pointedly.

The gears inside Kensi's head are turning wildly at present, as she silently takes in and processes everything that she's just heard.

Hetty gives the two tech analysts a nod of approval for their most excellent work. She too is working out some things within her own head. "Good work." She says to the two tech analysts.

"We need to bring him in." Kensi says at last, referring to Wayne Louis. "He obviously has access to our case files, so maybe he knows how to find Deeks—or someone who does."

"You mean, besides Kareem Hafeez?" Sam remarks.

"Yes." Kensi says, a tinge of impatience evident in her voice.

"Now, Ms. Blye," Hetty says calmly, looking over at the female federal agent. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." The operations manager adds pointedly.

"She's right." Callen admits, albeit reluctantly. "Most CIA operatives are based in Langley—that's on the other side of the country. It would take too long to fly there and back. Besides, I seriously doubt the CIA would willingly let us question one of their people."

"What if the CIA doesn't know?" Eric asks, slowly.

Everyone turns to look at Eric at this point. They aren't really sure what he means, but they are hoping that he will elaborate for them.

"Come again?" Sam asks, looking somewhat confused.

"Well, what I mean is…you see we, that is Nell and I,…we, um, used the IP Address to trace the Trojan horse program back to its original source." Eric begins to explain.

"And?" Kensi presses.

"Louis is actually here…in L.A." Nell replies, finishing what Eric had started only seconds before.

A temporary sigh of relief escapes from within Kensi. "I'm sorry. I owe you guys an apology." She says, looking up at the two tech analysts. "You're not useless after all."

Nell only smiles, but Eric looks almost offended.

* * *

A couple of hours later….

In the boatshed, Sam and Callen walk through the entrance dragging a man along between them. The man has a burlap sack over his head, and zip ties binding his wrists together behind his back.

"I don't know who you people are, but you're making a big mistake." Louis fumes from underneath the burlap sack that covers his head. "Kidnapping a federal agent is a major offense in this country."

"So we've heard." Callen says, pushing the man onward towards the interrogation room. "Now, keep moving."

"You'll be sorry." Louis continues to rant. "My employers are powerful people, and when they hear about this…you guys will never see the light of day again—ever."

"We'll take our chances." Sam remarks.

The partners walk right past Kensi on their way to the interrogation room. She has been waiting for them to return ever since they left to go pick up Mr. Louis from the apartment complex he was staying in while visiting L.A. Kensi is sitting on top of the little table in the viewing area, just outside the interrogation room. She stands to her feet as Sam and Callen get closer.

"What kept you guys?" Kensi asks. She

"He decided to go for a run." Sam tells her.

"They always do." Callen remarks over his shoulder.

Kensi nods. "Want me to start?" she asks, motioning to Louis.

The team leader shakes his head quietly at the female federal agent. He knows it's a bad idea to begin with. Kensi alone in the interrogation room with Wayne Louis, in his mind, could only end badly. So, for the time being he and Sam will handle Louis on less dangerous terms.

"No. We'll handle it." Callen tells her quietly. "Don't worry, he'll talk to us." He reassures her.

Kensi only nods.

* * *

Callen and Sam finally force Louis into the interrogation room. Sam shuts the door behind them, and Callen nudges their prisoner towards the table in the center of the room. He pulls out the nearby chair, and then pushes Louis down into it.

"Let's get this thing off, shall we?" Callen says, as he pulls the burlap sack off of Louis' head.

Louis sucks in a deep breath of fresh air as the burlap sack is finally removed from his head. He looks around frantically, and tries to discern where he's being held. He watches Callen walk back around to the opposite side of the little table. When he tries to move his hands, he realizes that they are still bound behind his back.

"Sam. Cut him loose." Callen says as he plops down into his own seat.

Sam nods, and then moves towards Louis. He pulls a switchblade out of his jeans pocket, and uses it to sever the zip ties holding Louis' hands behind his back.

Louis pulls his hands around to the front, and rubs them both in careful succession as he glances back across the table at Callen. "Look, I don't know who you are, or why you've brought me here-"

"We're with NCIS." Sam tells him, as he walks back to the corner near the door.

"NCIS?" Louis repeats the acronym aloud. "Navy cops? Shit, I knew you guys were supposed to be crazy, but this is-"

Callen suddenly slams his hand down hard against the tabletop. The action startles Louis, who then recoils in response. "Holy sh…what the hell was that for!?"

"Focus." Callen says very sternly. "Listen up, alright. We need information, and your gonna give it to us. Comprende?"

"Why should I give _you_ anything?" Louis asks in a harsh tone.

It is very clear that Callen is trying very hard to remain calm, and to not lose his cool. "Because if you don't, a good man is going to die."

"I don't even know what you guys are talking about." Mr. Louis spouts angrily at the two NCIS Agents.

"That's bullshit." Callen replies, still trying to stay calm. "You created a virus program to wipe the case files from our network. Remember that?"

A look of realization passes over Mr. Louis' face after a few seconds of deep thought. Now, he seems to be a little bit more anxious than when he started out.

"That's classified information, and that's all I'm going to tell you." Louis says evenly.

* * *

Outside the interrogation room, Kensi is watching everything on the viewing monitors mounted to the wall. She is very on edge at this point, and just wishes that they were closer to finding her partner than they actually are.

She's never really, really realized just how strongly she feels for the missing shaggy-haired LAPD detective. She aches to see him again, to be able to wrap her arms around him, and know that he's safe. She misses his corny jokes, and his 'warped' sense of humor—he may be annoying sometimes, but she loves him.

Kensi presses a finger to her earwig.

"Hetty."

"_Patience, Ms. Blye. Patience." Hetty's voice sounds over the radio._

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid." Kensi replies. "This is taking too long."

"_Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna have only just begun. Let's give them some time, and see what happens."_

Kensi hates all this waiting that she is having to do-especially since she knows that her partner's life is hanging in the balance. She wishes that she could somehow speed it all up, and just jump right to the part where they successfully rescue Deeks, and bring him home safely.

"Fine." Kensi replies at last.

"_You have my word, Ms. Blye. If Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna fail to obtain the information we need…we'll go to plan B."_

* * *

A little while later….

"Look, we know you designed the program that wiped our network. Why?" Callen presses Mr. Louis. His voice rises a few more octaves as he speaks. Beads of sweat have started to form around the team leader's forehead. It is a bit warm in the tiny room that they currently occupy.

Wayne Louis remains silent under the pressures of Callen and Sam's questioning. His CIA training several years back prepared him for situations just like these.

"Why is the CIA even interested in this case?" Sam asks, leaning closer to the table.

Still nothing from Wayne Louis but oh so irritating silence, and a blank stare. Suddenly Callen's anger and frustration finally boils over. He slams his fist down hard against the tabletop, and leaps to his feet.

"Answer the question!" Callen roars angrily. His face is beginning to turn bright red, as he stands glaring down at Wayne Louis.

Sam realizes then, that things are beginning to get a little more heated than necessary. He decides to intervene, because he knows that it's the right thing to do. "G." Sam says calmly.

Callen looks towards his partner, and feels his rage begin to drain away slowly. "What?"

"I think maybe we need a break. Let things cool off a bit, ya know?" Sam suggests.

"Yeah. Maybe you're right."

"_Mr. Callen. Mr. Hanna." Hetty's voice filter's through their earpiece radios. "I need to have a word with you two in my office…now."_

"Yes ma'am." Sam replies.

"We're on our way." Callen adds, never quite taking his eyes off of Louis until they finally exit the interrogation room.

* * *

It takes a little bit of time, but finally Callen and Sam are out of earshot and out of sight. The interrogation room stands empty now, except for Wayne Louis, and Kensi is still standing quietly in the viewing area.

"_Alright, Ms. Blye—Plan B it is. He's all yours." Hetty says over the earpiece radio stuck in Kensi's ear._

Kensi nods. "Tell Eric to kill the security feed."

* * *

In the Ops Centre….

"Mr. Beal." Hetty says, as she steps towards the tech analyst. "Let's give Ms. Blye some privacy, shall we?"

"Uh, yes ma'am." Eric replies, somewhat nervously. Eric quickly presses a few keys on his keyboard, and then the whole security system for the boatshed goes completely dark.

Then Hetty lays a hand on Eric's shoulder. She leans down and quietly whispers something into his ear. When she finally straightens up, she turns and looks over at Nell who sits at her own terminal nearby.

"And, Ms. Jones-" Hetty starts.

Nell, though, already knows full well what it is that Hetty is going to say. So words are not really necessary here. "My lips are sealed." Nell quietly assures the operations manager.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed this latest installment, and I hope that you will all continue to comment/review and let me know what you think so far. I always look forward to the feedback from my loyal readers, and I hope this chapter has not disappointed.**

**Have a Great Weekend Everyone!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: First off I would just like to apologize for this chapter being so short, but bare with me here-it was necessary. The main purpose of this chapter is to set up what's to come in the subsequent chapters to come. Trust me though...Things are about to get really exciting in the next few chapters, so you guys won't want to miss out-take my word for it.**

**Author's Note 2: All of that other stuff said, I would now like to say that I hope you guys are still enjoying this story, and that I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well. Also, remember that 'feedback' is the lifeblood of any good writer. Enjoy :)  
**

Partners

Chapter 6

Kensi closes the door behind her, and stands facing it for a long moment. She should be nervous as hell right now, but somehow she just isn't. She knows full well what's at stake, and how far she may have to go in the end. That's just fine by her.

"So, what are you supposed to be?" Wayne Louis asks, looking towards the female federal agent. "The 'good cop'?"

Kensi inhales a deep breath, and then exhales it just as quickly. "Not exactly." She replies quietly.

"Then what? Your friends have already tried…and failed. What makes you think you can-"

"Let's get one thing perfectly straight." Kensi says, as she finally turns to face Louis. "You're going to tell me what I want to know, one way or another. Whatever it takes." She tells him calmly.

Wayne Louis seems to understand what's happening. A knowing look grows quietly in his eyes as he watches the brunette standing just several feet away from him. He gives a nod at Kensi. "You must be _his_ partner. The one they've been talking about." He deduces.

She nods.

"But that's not all…is it?" Louis continues. "I can see it in your eyes. You're also in love with him." He knew within minutes of meeting Sam and Callen that they were serious; but that the line was as clear as day to them. The chances of either of them actually crossing it were slim at best. Kensi is definitely different though. The same line is sort of a gray area for her.

Kensi moves towards the table. "You're good. You got all that just by looking at me." She says plainly. "What else?" she asks. Wayne Louis is definitely more than he seems—that much is clear to the female federal agent.

"Look, I wish I could help you…I really do. You have to understand though, that there is more than just one life at stake here." Wayne Louis tells her calmly, a look of sincerity clear in his green eyes.

Kensi nods at the man. "Then I'm sorry…I take no pleasure in this." She tells him quietly, with a sad look in her mismatched eyes.

Wayne Louis nods understandingly. "I know." He replies in a quiet voice as he closes his eyes.

* * *

THWACK!

Outside, a loud scream of pain is heard echoing out from within the interrogation room. Fortunately though there is no one around to hear what is going on between Kensi and Wayne Louis.

"You know how to find Colonel Rahman." Kensi is heard saying to Wayne Louis. "Tell me how." She says sternly.

"I'm sorry." Wayne Louis replies in a shaky voice. "I can't."

CRRRAACCKKKK!

* * *

Callen and Sam are standing in Hetty's office conversing with the tiny operations' manager who is calmly sipping chamomile tea from one of her fine teacups. The two senior field agents have just been briefed on 'Plan B', and are currently discussing its advantages and disadvantages.

"Hetty, you know I trust your judgment." Callen says calmly. "But are you sure leaving Kensi alone in the boatshed with that guy is really a good idea?"

"Maybe Hetty's right, G." Sam suggests. "Kensi could be our best chance here." He adds, gesturing with his hand.

"Hetty?" Callen says, eying the tiny woman sitting behind the heavy oak desk.

Hetty sets her teacup down on the desktop, and appears to ponder something silently for a brief moment. "Mr. Callen, how many times would you say Mr. Deeks came through for us when _we _needed him?"

Sam is the one who answer's Hetty's question. "Too many to count." The muscular man answers somberly.

"Yeah, he may be an annoying pain in the ass at times, but he is dependable." Callen agrees.

"Well, then I guess that settles that—wouldn't you agree, Mr. Hanna?" Hetty says, folding her hands together on the desktop in front of her.

Sam nods in agreement.

"Its time I think, that we return the favor to Mr. Deeks. We owe him that much at least—after all we've been through as a team it just doesn't seem right for it too end any other way." Hetty tells them.

"Let's just hope 'Plan B' actually works." Callen says, as he folds his arms across his chest.

* * *

Another Hour and a half pass by at the mission, and nothing of particular interest happens during that stretch of time. Callen and Sam have finally moved into the bullpen area in search of better ways of passing the time.

At the top of the staircase leading into the Ops Centre the tech analyst, Eric Beale, appears very unceremoniously, and issues his customary 'call-to-arms' whistle. Callen and Sam look up upon hearing the shrill sound, and make eye contact with the younger man.

"Eric, any word from Kensi?" Sam asks hopefully.

Hetty is seen off to one side walking towards the staircase from her office.

"As a matter of fact, yes. She's on her way up as we speak." Eric tells them. Then Eric turns his attention to the operations manager. "And Hetty, Kensi says it might be a good idea to call for a medic."

Hetty nods. "Then make it so, Mr. Beale." She tells the tech analyst. Then she turns to the other two members of her team. "Well, shall we?" she says, motioning towards the staircase.

* * *

Several minutes later Special Agent Kensi Blye finally strolls through the doorway into the Ops Centre. She appears to be very well composed with not a single hair out of place. She walks to the center of the room and faces her teammates directly.

"Get anything useful out of Louis?" Callen asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did." Kensi replies coolly. "It wasn't easy though." She adds, remembering all that she had to go through in order to extract the necessary information from Wayne Louis. "Thanks to Mr. Louis we now know for a fact that Kareem Hafeez is the only one capable of identifying Colonel Rahman's compound—which is more than likely where Deeks is being held." She explains.

"Well, that certainly is helpful Kens." Callen remarks.

"Let her finish, Mr. Callen." Hetty says calmly from her spot near Eric and Nell.

"Nell," Kensi says, nodding towards the female tech analyst.

Nell nods back quietly, and then turns to her terminal and begins pressing a sequence of keys across the keyboard. Within seconds the huge plasma screen lights up with a myriad of new information/Intel. Kensi and Nell had been in contact earlier as Kensi passed on the information to the tech analyst before leaving the boatshed.

"According to Mr. Louis," Kensi continues. "Kareem Hafeez is actually a CIA asset planted inside Colonel Rahman's organization to obtain Intel about the Colonel's illegal activities—this latest assignment went South after the Colonel was tipped off by some unknown source."

"That's why our convoy was ambushed." Callen muses aloud, suddenly seeing all of the pieces of the puzzle coming together in his mind. "They weren't trying to rescue a comrade-"

"-They wanted to keep a mole from talking." Sam adds, finishing his partner's thought.

"Precisely."

"So all we have to do is find Kareem, and make him tell us where the compound is before it's too late." Callen reasons aloud.

Kensi shifts uneasily on the spot. This is the part that she has been most worried about. "Yeah, that's the tricky part." She tells the others. "According to our friend in the boatshed…Kareem Hafeez has been staying in a CIA-sanctioned safe house until he can be debriefed—it's a long process."

"Great." Callen remarks, rolling his eyes. "Any idea where this safe house is located?"

"Not exactly." Kensi replies. "Louis wasn't read in that far." She explains. "But, that's not the tricky part…Hafeez has developed a healthy case of extreme paranoia since arriving state side. It'll be next to impossible for all of us to sneak up on him."

"So which one of us is flying solo?" Sam asks, addressing the obvious question on everyone's mind at present.

...TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: I just want to say, before you guys start reading, that I really hope you enjoy this chapter. It is actually one of my favorites so far, and really starts to pump up the action side of the story. That said, Enjoy **

Partners

Chapter 7

Kensi steps out of the Baghdad International Airport terminal, and into the blinding glare of the desert sun beating down from above. The hot, dry air of the region scrapes against her delicate skin and makes her glad that she remembered to pack that bottle of moisturizing body lotion. She straightens the strange garb that she's wearing, and then begins searching the moving crowds for her mark. She stopped in the restroom after de-boarding the plane, and changed into something more appropriate given the current venue. Honestly, she wishes that she didn't even have to bother with such silliness, but it is important that she blend in for the time being.

She spent practically the entire flight over from D.C. mentally preparing herself for the daring rescue plan she and her team have set into motion. Callen and Sam will not be backing her up for this one—not this time. No, the time restraints alone meant that there would be no way they could meet up with her in time. Besides, it was necessary for the secrecy of their mission that the team leader and his partner remain behind. Time, which is seriously against them at this point, and which also dictated many of the details of the elaborate plan.

She will still have back-up for the mission though, and it only took calling in a few old favors to get it. There is one other piece of the puzzle that remains somewhat of a mystery to her, but Hetty had said she would take care of it. So Kensi altogether pushes that one detail towards the back of her mind, so that she can focus on her part in the rescue of her partner.

Over her shoulder is slung the go-pack she brought with her from home, stuffed with useful items such as her passport (created with a false identity specifically for this mission), an encrypted satellite phone, a supply of the local currency (courtesy of Hetty of course), some bubble gum, an envelope containing mission crucial Intel (encrypted for safety purposes of course), and a few girly products, like the body lotion—just in case.

A man, a local by all appearance, finally approaches the disguised federal agent after a few minutes, and begins to talk to her in Arabic. Her Arabic isn't great, to be honest, but nevertheless she still manages to glean enough from what she hears to understand the stranger's intentions. Once he finishes, Kensi nods to indicate that she understands.

The man moves to one side then, and motions for her to follow him. She had been informed earlier that someone would be sent to the airport to collect her, and make sure that she reached the designated rendezvous point hopefully without delay. As the two of them approach a worn, and probably very old car, Kensi thinks back over the events of the last several hours—events that ultimately led her here.

* * *

_Thanks to the combined hacking talents of both Eric Beale and Nell Jones, the NCIS team was able to learn the exact whereabouts of the elusive Kareem Hafeez. Kensi then boarded a red-eye flight bound for Washington D.C., all the way over on the other side of the country, with only one goal in mind—find Kareem and learn what he knows._

_Kensi pilots the rental car expertly through the network of streets crisscrossing the bustling district, as she searches for the spot indicated in the Intel obtained, secretly of course, from the CIA database. Beads of moisture dot the vehicles' windshield, and are remnants from the latest rain shower to pass over the city. The weather here is certainly different from what she's used to in Los Angeles, California. Instead of bright, warm sunshine she finds a cooler, wetter climate._

_She glances back down at the car's built-in GPS system, and then checks her surroundings to confirm that the directions are indeed correct. They are. She proceeds to slow down then, and carefully pulls the dark blue sedan up to the curb just outside a very unassuming-looking brick building. _

Here goes nothing. _She thinks to herself, as she shuts the car off and unbuckles her seatbelt. Next, she reaches across the passenger's seat, and opens up the glove compartment. Concealed inside the compartment rests a Sig Sauer and a single spare ammo clip, which she acquired through a discreet and not-quite-legal source for the sole purpose of avoiding any kind of paper trail that might lead back to her or NCIS in any way._

_She pockets the spare ammo clip, and then readies the weapon for use before exiting the vehicle. As she steps out onto the curb she very discreetly hides the weapon in the waistband of her jeans, which she then covers up with her sweater. She then closes the car door, and makes one quick sweep of the surrounding area with her eyes before continuing around to the front entrance of the building._

_Stepping inside the building a few minutes later finds the female federal agent face-to-face with a potential problem. Several official-looking men are camped out in the building's main lobby area, and Kensi suddenly feels as though she's walked right into some sort of trap._

_The man closest to the front door is the first one to spot her. He quickly walks up to the brunette, making a point to flash his service piece as he nears her. "Stay where you are." He says in a very authoritative tone of voice. _

_Kensi thinks quickly though, and instantly adopts the 'helpless tourist' façade. "I-I'm so sorry. This is really embarrassing, I must have the wrong address." She says, feigning embarrassment. "I'm not from around here—as I'm sure you can probably tell. I'm in town visiting a friend, and I was actually looking for the-"_

_A second man silently appears directly behind Kensi. The first man nods a quick 'go-ahead' to his colleague. "Search her." The first man says, once again in that cold, authoritative tone._

"_Hey, hands off buddy." Kensi snaps, as she tries to dance away from the man who is currently attempting to frisk her. However, the first man successfully blocks her movements. At this point, the other three men in the room have been alerted to Kensi's presence._

"_Got something." The second man says at last, as his hand finally comes to rest over the spot where her Sig Sauer had been concealed. The man lifts the bottom of her sweater, and then proceeds to pluck the weapon from within the waistband of her jeans. "She's packin'." The man tells his colleague, as he holds the weapon up for all too see. _

_Kensi knows at this point that the whole 'helpless tourist' charade is a complete bust._

"_Let's try this again, shall we?" The first man says, leveling his eyes at the brunette. "Don't suppose you feel like talking."_

_Kensi remains silent, and only stares coldly back at the man._

"_Alright then. Take her upstairs." The man tells one of his colleagues. Instantly two other men come along side Kensi, and begin leading her towards a staircase on the far side of the room._

* * *

_The group makes it about halfway up the stairs with Kensi before she finally speaks up. "You're making a big mistake." Kensi says plainly._

"_Oh, and how's that?" the first man asks from behind her._

"_You think you're the one in control here…but you're not." She tells him, very nonchalantly._

"_Yeah, you just keep thinking that miss." The man replies._

"_You were keeping someone here—someone I need." She says, in a more serious tone than before. "That's your second mistake, thinking you can hide him from me." She adds._

"_And your mistake, was thinking you could outsmart _Us."_ The man replies._

"_Ever read _'Art of War',_ by Sun Tzu?" Kensi asks, as she secretly begins tensing her core muscle groups._

"_Yeah, why?" the man asks._

"_Good. Then you already know what happens when you underestimate your opponent." _

"_What?"_

_Suddenly, Kensi yanks her right arm free and immediately elbows the man standing to her right in the stomach. Then she follows up by grabbing the man to her left and slamming him down hard across her knee. The man just ahead of her lunges forward in a loose attempt to subdue the female federal agent—but to no avail. Kensi darts to one side, and narrowly avoids the man's grasp. All of this takes place in a lightning fast blur of colors._

_The first man tries to pull himself through the tangled mess of his colleagues, but it is not an easy task, especially when going up a flight of stairs. "Idiots. Someone grab her, now!" he calls angrily, at the top of his voice._

_Kensi flies up the remaining section of stairs as fast as her legs can carry her until she finally reaches the second floor landing. She stands at the top looking left to right, left to right. _Which way._ She wonders._ _Voices coming from below startle her from the state of thoughtfulness she had sunk into momentarily. _

_A door all down the end of the right corridor catches her eye suddenly, and she immediately decides to take the gamble. She reaches the door within seconds, and without the slightest inkling of hesitation rips it open with such force that it would have knocked anyone else off their feet._

_Her gamble pays off. Just beyond lies a second flight of stairs. She figures they probably lead all the way up to the roof, and that's good enough for her._

_She throws open the door at the top of the stairs finally, and emerges out onto the roof. The cloudy skies above greet her mockingly as if to say 'end-of-the-line'. Kensi isn't about to give up though—where there is a will, there's a way. _

_She can see from here that the distance between her building and the building directly across from it is completely manageable, and there's no reason she shouldn't be able to make the jump if she gives it her all._ All or nothing._ She tells herself, as she inhales and then exhales to steady her nerves._

_Kensi exhales one last time, and then starts off at a quick trot first. Behind her though, the door flies open once more, and the first man from earlier steps through. He has his service weapon trained on her back, and the look in his eyes clearly says that he won't hesitate to put a bullet right where it counts._

"_Freeze!" the man shouts at the top of his voice._

_Kensi slows to a halt, but doesn't turn around. She stands silently, her heart beating fiercely in her chest as she struggles to formulate a new plan of escape._

"_Turn around. Put your hands in the air…where I can see them!" the man yells commandingly. _

_Kensi slowly turns her body around to face the man, and at the same time she carefully raises her arms up over her head. She wills herself to go 'stone-faced', and not show any emotion at all—especially not fear._

"_Good girl." The man says, with a slight smirk. "Now, get down on the ground—slowly." He tells her, motioning towards the ground with his gun._

_Kensi never takes her eyes away from him. She folds her body up in sections as she lowers herself to the ground. She's about half-way down, when the door behind the man opens up once again. One of the other men appears in the doorway looking out at the two of them._

_The first man turns and looks over his shoulder for no more than just a split second, but that's all it takes. The sound of shoes pounding against the rooftop catches his attention, and draws it back to the feisty brunette. "Stop. I'll shoot!" he yells as he takes off after her._

_Kensi reaches the edge of the rooftop, and puts everything she's got into the jump. Her entire body soars through open air, seemingly in slow-motion, but then at last her feet touch solid ground once again. She has to tuck-and-roll in order to avoid breaking her legs on the landing._

_She pulls herself up to her feet afterward, and catches herself glancing back across the way at a frustrated looking CIA operative. He swears to himself, and stamps his foot angrily as he watches Kensi trot off defiantly towards a ladder at the far end of her rooftop._

"_Get down to the street." He says over his shoulder to the other man. "Circle around—we can cut her off before she gets too far." _

* * *

The worn, old car finally pulls to a halt just outside what appears to be a cantina of some kind. She thanks the man for driving her, and then she exits the vehicle. She looks around quietly before heading inside the rather seedy-looking place.

* * *

Inside, the crowded place is noisy and smells of liquor and exotic tobacco smoke. She scans the crowd with only her eyes searching for the people she's supposed to be meeting with. Then a familiar face near the back of the room finally catches her eye, and brings with it some minor relief.

She pushes her way through the dense crowd until she finally reaches the table where the balding man is sitting in wait.

It doesn't take long at all before he realizes he's being watched. He looks up to find Kensi staring down at him, and even though most of her face is covered—he can tell she's smiling underneath.

"This really is no place for a lady." Joe White says, a small grin tugging at the edges of his lips.

"Cute." She replies sarcastically.

Joe lets out a low, hearty laugh at the feisty female federal agent. "Its good to see you Kensi." He tells her. "Though, I have to admit the circumstances could be a hell of a lot better."

She nods. "I know. Where's McGarrett?" she asks, looking around to see if the ex-Navy Seal is anywhere around.

Joe nods. "He and Danny are waiting out back, trying to keep a low profile." He tells her. He seems to read what she's thinking, and lets out a small sigh. "I know. It's only a matter of time before those two get into trouble…so we'd better go while we can." He says, motioning with his head to a hidden back door just several yards away from where they are at.

* * *

"Look, I'm just saying I don't understand why you had to bring me." Danny says, waving his hand in the air at McGarrett. "Alright, cause, personally, I think Chin or Kono would be much better suited for this kind of thing."

The two Five-O team members are standing alone in the space between the cantina, and the adjacent building. Between them sets a rather old looking jeep—this is too be their primary mode of transportation while they are in the city limits of Baghdad.

"What, I thought you'd like it." McGarrett replies. "You know do a little sight-seeing, take in the culture. Like taking a vacation."

Danny looks at his partner as if the man may have finally blown a gasket. "Are you serious?" he asks. It is a rhetorical question of course, so Danny does not expect an answer.

"Forgive me then," McGarrett replies. "For trying to do something nice for my partner."

Danny rolls his eyes, and turns away from McGarrett. "I'm not speaking to you for at least a month." He says over his shoulder.

"What are you two ladies arguing about now?" Joe asks, as he and Kensi step outside to join the two other Five-O team members.

"Steve's idea of a _vacation_." Danny says, motioning with his hands to indicate quotation marks.

_I only wish it were a vacation._ Kensi thinks to herself.

* * *

_Kensi manages to avoid her pursuers after finally climbing down off of the rooftop, and reaching solid ground once more. It was not an easy feat either. They practically chased after her for two city blocks before she was finally able to successfully evade the group of CIA agents._

_She enters a coffee shop just about another block down from where she originally lost her pursuers. Inside, she immediately asks the on-duty barista about using their restroom. The younger man behind the counter motions towards the back of the shop, and tells her that it should be unlocked._

_Kensi thanks the man, and then heads off quickly in the direction of the restrooms._

_She ducks into the women's restroom, and immediately locks the door behind her—making sure that she has complete privacy. She then digs her cell phone out of her jeans pocket, and with one hand dials the number for Eric's cell phone._

_Kensi listens intently as the phone rings, once…twice…and then finally the tech analyst answers. "Hello? Kensi?"_

_Kensi proceeds then to switch her phone to speaker mode, and then she lays it down on the nearby counter next to the sink. "Eric, we have a problem." She tells him, as beads of sweat trickle down from her forehead._

"_Problem?" the tech analyst repeats what Kensi said just seconds before._

"_Yeah." She replies, bracing herself with her hands against the counter top. "They knew I was coming. They moved him."_

…_TBC…_

**Author's Note: I really hope that you guys enjoyed this latest chapter, and that you will remember to comment/review, because remember feedback is the lifeblood of any good writer. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Okay, so I just wanted to let you guys know that this chapter is basically another one of those 'I'm setting you up for what's to come later on' deals. I promise, as I always do, that the next chapter is going to be one of the most action-packed in this series. So, stay tuned, and don't forget to review/comment at the end. Enjoy **

Partners

Chapter 8

_On the other side of the country Hetty Lange sits in her office. Eric has informed the operations manager of Kensi's situation, and as usual Hetty has a plan. As of right now though she is currently waiting for her loyal team leader to arrive, and assist her with a very delicate matter. The sound of someone entering the mission reaches the tiny woman's ear, and she knows that Callen has finally made it._

_It takes only seconds for the team leader to reach Hetty's office. He sees no sign of freshly brewed tea anywhere on or near her desk—so in his mind he automatically knows this is serious. "I got your message." Callen tells her. "Something happen to Kensi?" Slight worry dots his voice._

"_The CIA knew she was coming. Kareem Hafeez has been moved to a secondary location—one we can't seem to find." Hetty explains. "As you know, Mr. Callen, time is of the essence right now, and it would seem as though we are greatly in need of assistance."_

"_What can I do?" Callen asks._

"_I understand you have some history with some of our D.C. counterparts." Hetty says, with a suggestive look towards the senior field agent._

_Callen nods as he fishes his cell phone out of his back pocket. "I see where this is going." He tells her. "_He_ does owe me a favor or two." Callen adds, as he scrolls through his cell phone's contact list. _

"_Remember Mr. Callen…discretion is key to the success of our plan."_

"_Oh, don't worry. He'll be discreet." Callen says as he finally selects the number he's been looking for, and hits the send button. He listens as it rings once…twice…and then finally a gruff voice comes through just after the third ring._

"Gibbs."_ Comes the voice on the other end._

"_Gibbs—G. Callen. Listen, you know that favor you owe me?" Callen says, as he glances over at Hetty._

* * *

_The bullpen at NCIS headquarters in Washington D.C. is unusually quite, as all eyes are currently on the silver-haired team leader sitting behind his desk. The phone conversation he's been engaged in for the last several minutes has apparently peaked the interests of his team._

"_Who do you think he's talking to?" Tony DiNozzo whispers across the way to his partner—the former Mossad officer turned NCIS Special Agent._

"_Shush." Ziva David shoots back quietly. She has been listening very closely trying to hear both sides of the conversation, and she has managed to pick up a few things in the process._

"_He doesn't look too happy...maybe its one of his ex-wives." Tony muses aloud, quietly of course._

"_If you would seal your trap for one minute—maybe I could hear something useful." Ziva snaps at her partner with an exasperated tone. The special agent with the Italian name (his last name) has always been a source of irritation for the dark-haired beauty, and why she puts up with him remains a mystery even after so many years as partners._

"_Ooh, hit a nerve there." Tony remarks, with a smirk._

_Ziva rolls her eyes, but turns back to listening to Gibbs' phone conversation._

"_Look you two," Special Agent Timothy McGee interjects from the opposite end of the bullpen. "If the boss thinks its something we need to know, then I'm sure he'll tell us."_

_Tony huffs at the team's resident computer geek. "Where's the fun in that, McParty-Pooper." He remarks, making a childish face at McGee._

_McGee only shakes his head at the Senior Field Agent, not wishing to respond. He knows that to do so would only encourage the behavior._

"_Oh, wait, maybe it's the other Gibbs—the older Gibbs." He says, flashing a triumphant smile at both of his colleagues. "I bet I'm right. Yeah, I'm probably right." He says, gesturing boastfully towards himself._

"_Gibbs' father?" Ziva says, suddenly distracted once again by Tony's ramblings._

"_Bet you're wrong." McGee says, challengingly. _

"_Oh, how so?" Tony asks, curious as to what flaw the younger agent could possible find in his theory._

"_Jackson Gibbs would never call his desk phone. He'd call Gibbs' cell." McGee states pointedly._

_Tony opens his mouth to retort, but the sudden, unexpected sound of Gibbs hanging up his desk phone puts a quick end to that. _

"_He's right, DiNozzo." Gibbs says without looking up._

_McGee flashes a triumphant 'I told you so' grin at the elder agent, and gives a slight bob of his head at the same time. Tony's only reply is to stick his tongue out at the younger man._

_Tony clears throat a few seconds later, finally turning his attention back to Gibbs. "So, uh, anyone important?" he asks, hopefully, leaning forward in his desk chair._

"_Callen." Gibbs replies, as he retrieves his badge and shield from within the top, left-hand drawer of his desk. He stands up next, and clips his Sig Sauer to his belt. Then he pockets his badge._

_Tony leans forward even more. The name Gibbs spoke suddenly brings back memories of the time he and the silver-haired ex-marine had spent on assignment in L.A. just a couple of years back. "Callen?" he says, repeating the name. "Something happen?" he asks next._

"_Ziva, take McGee and go to my place." Gibbs instructs the former Mossad officer. "Stay put until I get there." he adds. _

"_Who's Callen?" Ziva asks, curiously. But then she catches Gibbs' stare, and decides to drop the subject for the moment._

"_Yes sir." Ziva replies with a nod as she then begins to gather her go-pack, as well as her own shield and side-arm._

"_Callen's one of us." Tony explains. "L.A. office—'Special Projects' division. We met him when Gibbs and I went to L.A. 2 years ago." He adds._

"_Oh." Is all that Ziva says after that._

"_He must need our help—I mean, if he's calling Gibbs, it's not a social call." McGee reasons aloud._

"_McGee, you got a laptop?" the silver-haired man asks, looking across the way at the tech specialist of his team, effectively ending the little mini-conversation going on between his team._

"_Yeah, sure do Boss." McGee replies, reaching back under his desk to collect the carrying case that houses his laptop computer._

"_Good. Bring it with you."_

"_Got it." McGee responds, as he finishes gathering up the rest of his things._

_Gibbs rounds the corner of his desk, and begins to head in the direction of the elevator. "DiNozzo-" Gibbs starts._

_Tony begins to gather up his shield, side-arm, and go-pack on Gibbs' word. "Yeah?" he says, looking up at the silver-haired man._

_Gibbs throws Tony one of those 'Well, what are you waiting for?' looks as he walks by the younger man's desk. "Let's go." He says very plainly._

"_Right, on your Six, Boss." Tony replies, as he breaks into a quick trot in order to catch up with his boss. "So, um, where exactly are we going?" he asks, as he and Gibbs reach the elevator together._

_Gibbs slaps the down switch on the wall. "I'll explain in the car." He tells the younger man._

* * *

The jeep rattles along, bouncing up and down at certain points, with its four occupants in tow down a long, semi-crowded street. It's the kind of place where the local street urchins set up their small tent-covered shops, and spend the day peddling their wares to whoever happens by.

Steve is at the wheel with Danny in the passenger's seat beside him. Joe and Kensi are seated in the only two other seats remaining in the back of the rig. Desert sand is constantly being kicked up all around them, and they often find themselves having to cover their faces for brief periods of time so as not to inhale the dry dust.

"I've got a friend here…met him back during Operation: Desert Storm. He's agreed to supply us with the gear we'll need for this little mission of ours." Joe is explaining to the group (and Kensi especially).

"Good." Kensi replies.

"Yeah, speakin' of that-This, uh, this plan of yours—its interesting." Danny remarks, turning in his seat to look back at Kensi. "I mean, it strikes me as being a little unnecessarily dangerous to be honest. But hey, I guess I should be used to that kind of thing." The former NYPD Detective throws a dirty look over at his partner.

Joe stifles a chuckle that briefly threatens to escape from within. "Do you ever just relax?" the older man asks the blond-haired man.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. When I'm home—sleeping." Danny responds, in his usual witty manner.

It makes Steve McGarrett smile a little bit.

"You're not scared are you, Danny?" McGarrett asks, looking over the top of his shades at his partner.

Danny turns back to face McGarrett. "Me? Scared? No, no. Not a chance. I…am fearless."

Now McGarrett lets out a small chuckle at his partner. "Okay. So you're terrified?" he says, knowingly.

"Yes. Yes I am." Danny replies, more to himself than anyone else. "Completely terrified."

McGarrett lets out a quiet laugh.

Joe leans forward then, and taps Steve on the shoulder. He can see that their next turn is just a few yards ahead of where they are now.

"Sir?"

"Take the next right." Joe tells the ex-Navy Seal. "It's not much further." He adds. Steve only nods. A couple of minutes later Steve slows the jeep a bit, and then begins to guide it carefully around the turn and onto the next street.

"Look, I know it's not a perfect plan, but it's all we've got." Kensi says, rather quietly. "It has to work." She adds, more insistently.

"Don't worry. It will." Joe says reassuringly, patting the female federal agent gently on the knee.

Steve nods in agreement, though never taking his eyes away from the road before him. "Yeah, Joe's right." He tells her. "We'll get your partner back. Count on it."

Joe nods at Kensi after that. "Believe me when I say this…Steve doesn't know how to fail."

Kensi nods back in understanding. "Thanks."

"Kaleed's place is just at the end of this street. Last one on the left, Steve." Joe says, pointing over the ex-Navy Seal's shoulder in the direction of his friend's place.

* * *

_Gibbs, Tony, and Kensi carefully make their way down the steps into Gibbs' basement. McGee and Ziva are already setup, and waiting for the trio. Tony was read in on the situation on the way to pick up Kensi at the coffee shop, so now he's on the same page with Gibbs._

"_I still can't believe you guys are actually willing to help us." Kensi remarks quietly as she follows Gibbs and Tony._

"_Yeah, that's the thing about Gibbs. He's really not much for following the rules." Tony explains as they finally step off the very last step onto the cold, cement floor._

_McGee and Ziva greet the trio upon seeing them. "He's not lying." Ziva chimes in._

"_Is anyone else wondering why we're down here?" McGee asks, looking around._

"_Nope." Gibbs replies, as he shrugs out of his overcoat. He lays the garment across the far end of his workbench, and then turns to face his team._

"_Oh good, then it's just us." McGee remarks, looking over at Ziva._

"_The short version is that my partner is being held captive by a man named Colonel Rahman somewhere in Iraq, and the only person who knows how to find him is currently under CIA protection." Kensi explains._

"_Hmm, sounds like we need a plan." Ziva muses aloud._

…_TBC…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: First of all, I just want everyone to keep in mind that this is a work of fiction. This means that sometimes there will be things that were made-up/invented solely for the sake of the story. Enjoy :)**

Partners

Chapter 9

_Gibbs strolls casually into the lobby of the Washington Plaza Hotel. Only hours before he and his team had managed to track Kareem Hafeez and his CIA escort here using traffic cam footage from practically all over the D.C. area. Now Gibbs and his team have very little time to act, before their target is moved again._

_He walks to the main reception desk, and is instantly greeted by the young, blond woman behind the desk. She is very friendly, and she smiles at the silver-haired man as she speaks. "Hello sir, how can I help you today? Do you have a reservation with us, or are you looking to make one now?"_

"_Nah, just looking for a friend." Gibbs replies plainly. He pulls a photo from his coat pocket, and shows it to the young lady behind the desk. "See this guy before?"_

_A nervous expression crosses the young lady's face as soon as she lays eyes upon the photograph in Gibbs' hand. She glances uneasily towards a man standing just several yards away near the entrance to the hallway that leads to the main elevator. _

"_Don't worry about him." Gibbs says reassuringly. The silver-haired man can tell that the young lady is feeling distressed by the situation she's suddenly found herself in. He can also see in her eyes that she's been threatened to keep silent about this matter. "He can't hurt you." He tells her, pulling back his overcoat just enough for her to see his NCIS shield clipped to his belt._

_The man across the way sees Gibbs talking to the young lady behind the desk, and somehow seems to sense what it is they are talking about. He whispers something into a microphone/radio device seemingly located inside the cuff of his sleeve. Then he makes his way towards the silver-haired man._

_Gibbs can see the man coming out of his periphery, and motions to the young lady very discreetly to remain calm, and not to panic—and also not to look at the man as this would give away the fact that Gibbs knows he's coming._

"_Sir?" the man asks as he nears Gibbs side. "You're gonna have to come with me." The man says, as he places a hand over the side-arm strapped to his own side._

"_That's not gonna happen." Gibbs replies, very nonchalantly._

"_Sir-" the man starts again, this time a little more sternly than before. He reaches out with his free hand, and locks on to Gibbs' arm—he quickly wishes he hadn't done it though._

_Without warning, Gibbs snatches his arm away, grabs the man by his shirt pulling him forward, and then slams him head first into the desktop. The man crumples to the floor in a helpless, unconscious heap at Gibbs' feet. Then with lighting speed Gibbs withdraws his Sig Sauer with his left hand, and aims it directly to his left._

_This action quickly halts the approach of a second man, presumably summoned down by his now unconscious partner. The man stops where he is, and raises his arms into the air in surrender. Gibbs flashes him a small grin of approval. "Good boy." He tells the man, with a nod._

_The few other people present in the lobby area react to the scene playing out around Gibbs. They don't panic though; instead they just appear to be on the alert. All eyes are turned at this point on the silver-haired man._

_Gibbs then turns his attention back to the lady behind the desk. "The man in the picture—where is he?" Gibbs asks quietly._

_The young lady still looks nervous, but Gibbs' calm expression seems to help bring her down a little bit as she goes to her computer terminal. She presses a few keys on the keyboard, and within seconds the information she needs flashes up onto the screen._

"_He's on the fifth floor. R-Room 516." She tells Gibbs, while still eying the second man somewhat nervously._

_Gibbs nods his thanks to the young lady. "You get that, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asks, the earwig he's wearing suddenly visible in his ear._

* * *

_A back door into the hotel opens up elsewhere, and Tony and Ziva step quickly (and cautiously) into the building. Before them stretches a staircase that seemingly leads all the way up to the roof. The two NCIS Special Agents, however, are not planning to go that far—no, their destination is the fifth floor._

"_Loud and clear, Boss." Tony says into his earwig, as he and his partner begin to climb the stairs. "We're heading up now." He adds._

_The two federal agents finally reach the door to the fifth floor after a few minutes of climbing. Tony nudges the door open just a bit, and peers out into the hallway. It's clear. He turns back, and nods to his partner._

"_It's clear." He tells her._

_He and Ziva make their way out into the hallway, and then begin carefully searching for room 516. "I sure hope this works." Ziva muses in a hushed voice._

"_It's Gibbs' plan…of course it'll work." Tony replies._

* * *

_In the lobby Gibbs listens over his earpiece to the progress that his team is making five floors above him. The sound of a foot slamming against a door crackles through the static, and then several voices shouting at one another follows soon after._

_A loud bang comes through over the radio, and seems to startle the silver-haired special agent. He listens intently for signs that his people are okay, but he hears only silence. It is an eerie silence, the kind that usually sends his gut churning wildly._

"_DiNozzo?" Gibbs says quietly._

"_You didn't think it would be easy, did you?" the man to Gibbs' left says evenly, knowing exactly what the silver-haired NCIS Agent is hearing._

_Gibbs slowly turns his head towards the man._

"_Right now, that room is being swarmed by our agents. It's over."_

* * *

_One floor above Tony and Ziva, in room 625, two guards are keeping watch over Kareem Hafeez. A slender, tan-skinned woman dressed in the pink uniform commonly worn by the hotels' housekeeping staff pushes a cart full of cleaning supplies down the long hallway. Her dark hair is pulled back in a neat ponytail behind her head._

_This is Special Agent Kensi Blye._

_A young couple exits their hotel room just ahead of where Kensi currently is. The two lovers are talking and joking with one another, and at one point they even share a quick kiss as they pass right by Kensi. Kensi remains silent, and only smiles and nods at the couple-who then return the gesture politely. To them Kensi is no more than an underpaid, cleaning lady. This means that her disguise, which she used to gain access to the hotel's staff entrance around back, is working like a charm._

_Kensi turns her head slightly to the left, as a voice whispers in her ear via earwig. "_Phase one's complete. You're up sweet stuff." _Tony's voice rings in Kensi's ear._

"_Sweet stuff?" Kensi repeats the phrase to herself. "Ziva, I'm a little out of reach—would you mind?"_

"It would be my pleasure." _Ziva replies, the smirk crossing her face almost audible in her_ _voice. A few seconds later the sound of an old-fashioned 'Gibbs-Slap', administered of course by the former Mossad Officer, is heard in the background._

"Ow." _Tony groans loudly_. "Okay, Ziva, we talked about this remember?" _Tony snaps at his partner. The memory of the last time his partner had 'Gibbs-slapped' him invades his thoughts in that moment._

_Kensi stifles a chuckle as her eyes fall upon the numbers 625 plastered to the outside of a nearby door. She pulls her cart to one side, and leaves it setting against the wall. She does a quick look-around to make sure that the hallway is still clear. It is._

"_I found the room." Kensi whispers quietly into her earpiece._

"We're headed for the exit. Uh, oh. We've got a few hostiles on our tail-See you at the rendezvous point." _Ziva replies over the radio, breathing rapidly in and out as is necessary when trying to outrun an enemy._

"_Copy that." Kensi whispers. The brunette federal agent carefully shifts a stack of garbage bags on the top portion of the cart to one side. Underneath lies the pistol that Gibbs had supplied her with earlier, and she quickly takes it up into her hand—checking the ammo clip one last time before moving towards the door._

_Kensi moves to one side of the door and steadies herself for what she knows must come next, and then finally positions herself directly in front of it. She then raps her knuckles lightly against the door, and waits silently for an answer from within._

"_Who is it?" comes a semi-deep voice from the other side._

"_Housekeeping." She replies._

"_Your services aren't needed at this time, ma'am." The voice comes back from the other side. "Please, leave us alone."_

"_Housekeeping." Kensi repeats herself, pressing the man on the other side._

_Movement can be heard inside the room, and seems to grow steadily louder over the course of a few seconds. The sound of multiple locks being undone simultaneously causes Kensi to once again tense her muscles in anticipation. The door finally begins to open, and as it does the sound of a throat clearing in an irritated fashion reverberates down the long hallway._

"_Look lady, I said we don't-" the man starts to complain. The man has no time to register what happens next, as Kensi lunges towards him without even an ounce of warning._

_Kensi shoves her foot hard into the man's gut. This sends the man hurtling backwards into the room where he eventually topples to the ground. The female federal agent darts into the room next, her gun held at the ready, and immediately catches sight of the second guard standing just across the way near the room's single window._

_The second man spins on his heel, quickly withdrawing his own side-arm and takes aim at Kensi. "Freeze." He bellows out forcefully._

_Kensi manages to just barely roll out of the way as the second man squeezes off a shot in her direction. She pulls herself up seconds later, and without hesitation returns fire with a warning shot of her own. Out of nowhere, the first guy rolls over nearby, and reaches out for Kensi's leg. He manages to snare it, and as a result Kensi is sent sprawling to the floor—her pistol landing just a few feet away. She quickly rolls over onto her back as soon as she hits the ground._

_The first man stands up, and approaches Kensi afterward. He stands looming over her with a dark expression painted over his features. "Nice try toots." He sneers down at her. "I don't know who you're working for, but you're finished now." He adds._

_Kensi inhales a deep breath as she tries to quickly think up a new exit strategy. Just then, the second man, after re-holstering his weapon, shoots a look at his partner. "What should we do with her?" he asks._

"_Call it in downstairs." The first man replies. "I'll tie her up." _

_Kensi knows that being captured, and hauled off to God knows where by these guys would mean almost certain death for the partner she is so desperately trying to save. And, she cannot allow these guys to alert anyone else to her presence—her escape from the hotel depends on it._

_An idea pops into the federal agents head. With a grunt she lifts her right leg into the air, and then slams her foot into the first man's kneecap. The first man utters a howl of pain as he crumples to his knees against the floor. Then, Kensi expertly jumps to her own feet, and just narrowly avoids a mid-air grab attempt by the second man. She counters the near grab with a quick elbow to the second man's gut._

_Adrenaline is now pumping through her body unhindered, vastly increasing her speed and strength, and seemingly heightening her senses. She can see all of the training sessions she went through with Sam in the gymnasium at OSP replaying in her mind like a slow-motion 'how-to' manual. Its times like these she really appreciates the time she spent practicing with the ex-Navy Seal. _

Sam would be so proud.

_Next comes a swift, hard, backhand to the side of the first man's face. She has no time to watch as he falls sideways to the floor in an unconscious heap, though, as the sound of a gun priming draws her attention back to the second man._

_The brunette beauty in her pink, housekeeping uniform spins in a half-circle, and easily bats the man's arms aside. Then she hops towards him, slamming the back of her fist against the side of his face. The blow stuns him temporarily, and he drops his gun to the floor. Seeing the newly created opening she's just created, she decides to seize the opportunity and finally end the fight once and for all._

_She dashes forward, dodging an aimless swing, and slams a hard, left hook into the man's face. Kensi then follows up the blow by kicking the man in the gut. This sends him sprawling backwards over the bed, and into the wall on the opposite side. He then slumps, unconsciously, to the floor._

_Kensi looks around the room, panting heavily with beads of sweat marking his forehead as the adrenaline continues to course through her. She moves back to the first man, and claims the gun resting near his side as her own. Then a sound catches her attention. She looks up. It's coming from the other side of the room._

_There is a door there that leads into the room's lavish bathroom. She straightens herself up, and moves slowly towards the closed door. The grips the pistol she collected in both hands, trying to steady herself as her body begins to come down from the previous adrenaline surge she experienced._

_She reaches out at last, and wraps her hands around the doorknob. She counts silently to three, and then pushes the door open with a forceful shove. Kensi steps into the bathroom hastily, and quickly spots a man crouched down inside the tub—shaking. She trains her gun on him, and slowly walks towards him._

"_Don't move." She warns him, steadying her weapon on a particular spot of his body. She recognizes the man as Kareem Hafeez almost instantly. She's so close now._

"_Please." The man begs, his voice shaky and filled with fear and panic. "Don't kill me."_

"_Tell me what I want to know…and maybe I won't." she offers coldly._

_Kareem looks up at Kensi with unsteady eyes, and seems to stare at her thoughtfully for a moment. It's like the man can read her mind or something, because after a few seconds an expression of understanding crosses his face. This is soon replaced by a sadder look. _

"_What you ask…is difficult." Kareem tells her. "I remember what your friend did for us—after the convoy was hit." As he speaks, he and Kensi are instantly transported back to that day in the Iraqi desert. They both relive those horrible moments once more, almost as if it were actually happening all over again._

_Kensi shakes her head quickly dismissing the memory from the forefront of her thoughts. Anger rises up inside of her, and threatens to completely push her over the edge. Her whole body shakes with this anger and frustration. She can hear Kareem still talking to her, but it's mostly muffled, garbled sounds to her._

_She steps forward and raises her gun to the man once more. Her hands are shaky as she struggles to keep the weapon focused on one single point, and her eyes are red and filled with fresh, hot tears. "No." she chokes out angrily, trying to stifle back sorrowful sobs. "Stop it! None of it should've happened in the first place. It's all _Your_ fault."_

"_Look, I am very sorry for what happened, and I-" he starts, trying to stand up in the tub._

_Kensi waves the gun angrily at the man causing him to shrink back a little bit in fear. "No…no you're not." She tells him through gritted teeth. "But if my partner dies, _you will be_."_

* * *

_The sound of someone coughing is the next sound that Gibbs hears in his ears. It's a cough that the ex-marine knows all too well. A tiny smile plays across his lips at the sound. It would seem as though his plan is actually working out quite well at this point._

"_You alright, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asks, with an amused expression on his face._

"Yeah. Just peachy Boss."_ The senior field agent replies with a cough. "_Things got a bit hairy there for a while, but nothing we couldn't handle_." He explains to his boss._

_Gibbs nods with a small grin. "Good to hear. You two headed for the rendezvous point?" he asks._

"On our way now Boss."

_The man to Gibbs' left is staring, mouth agape, at the silver-haired NCIS Special Agent. If he is hearing correctly then it would seem that their little trap has failed to hit its mark. It is not possible though. There is absolutely no way this band of 'rebels' (or at least that's how the CIA is currently looking at them) could possibly have outsmarted them._

"_How?" the CIA agent asks in disbelief._

_Gibbs looks quite amused by the reaction of the CIA agent still standing just to his left—arms raised high over his head. "Oh, we knew it was a trap." Gibbs explains. "You people made it too easy to find you here—figured it had to be a setup."_

_The CIA agent narrows his eyes angrily at Gibbs now. "It doesn't matter." The man spits angrily. "You'll still never find-"_

"_Oh no, we found him too." Gibbs cuts him off. "On the sixth floor…not the fifth. Like I said, too easy. We just needed to keep the attention focused on the trap, make you think you had the upper hand."  
_

_The man gives a low growl as he shakes his head lightly._

"_I think they call it a diversion." Gibbs muses aloud._

"Gibbs," _comes a female voice over the radio. It's Kensi._ "Hafeez talked. I've got the location of the compound."

"_Good work." Gibbs replies. "Get out while you can. We'll meet at the rendezvous point as planned." He tells her._

"See you there." _Kensi replies._

_Suddenly from Gibbs' left the CIA agent, bubbling over with anger towards the silver-haired man, lunges forward in an effort to stop him. "You're not getting away this." He snarls as he pounces._

_Gibbs evades his assailant by quickly taking a step backwards. As the man moves past him though, the silver-haired ex-marine brings his gun down hard against the agents' back. This action immediately sends the man down face first onto the floor. There he lies unconscious as Gibbs looks on._

* * *

_At some point Kensi stops, and quickly changes her outfit, and thereby also effectively altering her appearance just enough to hopefully ensure her safe arrival at the rendezvous point. She exits the hotel via a rear entrance a few minutes afterwards, and as she makes her way back out onto the busy city street(s) he hears a horn honking, and it immediately grabs her attention._

_Just down the street a little ways she can see the city bus making its way through traffic. Another car honks angrily at the oncoming bus, as it maneuvers its way in and out of the crowded spaces around it. _

_Kensi makes her way down to the nearest bus stop to the hotel, and waits for the vehicle to arrive at her location. When it finally does she climbs aboard, paying her fare as she goes, and then quietly makes her way towards the back section of the bus._

_She sits down, and waits for the bus to begin moving once more. She then reaches deep into her pants pocket, and retrieves the small burn phone that McGee had given to her before leaving Gibbs' place earlier. She stars down at the phone in her hand for a long moment. She knows that she's supposed to check in with McGee as soon as she's safely aboard the bus, which she is, but she is also aware of the fact that there is another call she needs to make as well._

_After a few more seconds of thoughtfulness, she finally makes up her mind. She quickly dials the long-distance number into the phone, and then hits the 'send' key. She waits patiently as it rings a couple of times, before a familiar voice finally answers._

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey, Joe." Kensi says into the phone._

_There is a brief silence that follows this, but then the man on the other end finally speaks up once more. "Kensi…is that you?" Joe asks, slowly._

"_Yes sir. It's me." Kensi replies somewhat nervously._

"_Something wrong? You okay?" Joe asks, instantly worried about the young woman._

"_Joe…I need your help."_

* * *

Somewhere just outside Makhfar al Busayyah, Iraq….

In the middle of the desert terrain sets a well-constructed compound. This bunker of sorts belongs to the mad man known as Colonel Rahman. At first glance the multiple sentries set up in strategic locations around the compound are easily noticeable. Each one of these men carries a sniper rifle and a fully loaded submachine gun. To any one laying eyes upon the residence it would seem impenetrable from the outside.

Just a couple hundred yards away from the compound sets a sandy, hilltop. It is here that Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Joe White, and Kensi Blye all lie in wait preparing to make their move on the place, and finally put their plan into action.

From their hiding spot they have a clear vantage point from which to spy upon the compound. Joe White is currently using the scope of the sniper rifle he acquired from his friend back in town to get a better look at what he and the others are going up against.

Back in town, the group eventually abandoned the old jeep they'd been using, and instead switched to an armored Humvee borrowed from a nearby military base. The crates of equipment they received from Joe's friend are scattered, opened about the small space surrounding the group.

"I count four…maybe five sentries." Joe reports, looking over his shoulder at the others. "Easy shots, but the delay in between each one could be a problem." He muses thoughtfully.

"As long as we stick to the plan…everything should go pretty smoothly." McGarrett replies.

"See, he did it again." Danny says pointedly, with a shake of his head. "He always does that—every time."

"What?" McGarrett asks, curiously (and somewhat confused). "What do I always do?"

"Jinx us." Danny replies, with a fitting gesture of his hand. "It's like saying 'what could possibly go wrong', and what usually happens after that—something always goes horribly wrong. Every time, trust me."

"Don't listen to him." McGarrett says, looking over at Kensi. "He's just being paranoid." The ex-Navy Seal adds.

"Whatever." Danny says dismissively.

"We might as well go ahead and suit up." Kensi suggests, as she moves towards one of the supply crates containing what appear to be four, heavy Kevlar vests. "We'll need to move in soon if we want this to work in our favor."

Kensi's mind right now is focused mostly on her partner, and his safety. She can't seem to stop her mind from wondering what all they've done, and have been doing to Deeks over the course of the last month. She remembers what she saw in the 'ransom' video they'd received several days prior, but her gut tells her that that was only the tip of the iceberg.

_Just hang in there a little longer partner…Please. I'm coming to get you._

…TBC…

**Author's Note: Hey, I hope that you guys enjoyed this latest installment, and will join me again later on for the next exciting chapter in the series. As a heads up to all of my loyal readers—Chapter 10 will finally see the rescue of everyone's favorite Marty Deeks. Also, don't forget to review/comment. See ya next time **


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updating. Night classes have been brutal the last week or so, but I hope to get back to regular updates now. I hope that you guys enjoy this latest update, and will drop me a line to let me know what you all think. Thanks again everyone for being so patient with me :) Enjoy :)****  
**

Partners

Chapter 10

The gang is standing on the small hillside finishing up their last-minute preparation for the assault they are about to embark upon. The conversation for the last few minutes has been focused on just how the four of them are supposed to escape once they find Deeks.

"I'm just saying I'd like to know what happens once we're inside, and how we plan to get back out again. I don't think that's too much to ask." Danny says, as he reaches down into one of the crates and produces an assault rifle from within.

"And what if I say, 'you don't need to know'." McGarrett replies, arching a brow at his partner.

Danny shakes his head. "This…this is ridiculous." He says with a chuckle. "Care to elaborate for me, please. Tell me why it is that I don't need to know?"

"You just don't."

"Are they always like this?" Kensi asks Joe quietly.

Joe tilts his head to one side for a brief second. "Only 98 percent of the time."

Kensi chuckles to herself.

Suddenly everyone, accept Danny, falls silent where they stand. No one moves a muscle, but all eyes are trained on the exact same spot just over Danny's head. First Kensi, then Joe, and then Steve slowly lower the weapons they're holding to the ground.

When Danny finally looks up from making some adjustments to his assault rifle he notices that everyone else has their hands raised up into the air as if in surrender.

"What?" he asks, a little confused by what he is seeing. "Why's everyone got their hands u-"

A familiar, metallic clicking sound coming from just behind startles Danny at that moment. "Oh geez." He instantly drops his rifle to the ground, and brings his hands up over his head. "Someone's pointing a gun at me, aren't they?" he says, his voice just a little bit shaky.

"Yeah." McGarrett replies, very matter-of-factly, and with a slight nod.

"Fantastic." Danny remarks.

"لا احد يتحرك." (Nobody move) the man obviously in charge of the hostile group barks, his accent think and his voice harsh.

Just behind Danny there stands a group of about 5 or 6, well-armed men. All of them have their guns trained on the members of the small rescue team. Serious expressions hang over the faces of all six men.

"التعادل. سوف نقدم هؤلاء السجناء الكولونيل." (Tie them up. We will deliver these prisoners to the Colonel)

"What are the chances we have a plan B?" Danny asks, as he feels one of the men pulling his hands down behind his back. The other five men move around to subdue Steve, Kensi, and Joe.

* * *

Kensi Blye stands just inside the compound's main lobby area. The female federal agent is decked out in full military-style protective gear. The guards are certain they searched her well enough for any potential weapons that they do not seem worried. Kensi stands firm as the infamous Colonel Rahman slowly descends a nearby staircase.

The Colonel begins to speak to Kensi in his native tongue. He does not know whether or not she will be able to understand him this way, but the Colonel does fancy a good game—and that's exactly what this whole thing is to him.

"مرحبا بك إلى منزلي" (Welcome to my home) The Colonel greets Kensi, his voice thick with his middle-eastern accent.

Kensi does understand what the Colonel is saying, though her Arabic is a little rusty right now. Still she remains silent. So far everything is going according to the plan. All she has to do now is wait for the next phase to begin, and then she can make her move.

"اخبرنى ما هو ما جلبك هنا?" (Tell me, what is it that brings you here?)

"لديك ما اريد" (You have something I want) Kensi replies plainly.

"المهم" (Interesting) The Colonel muses. He appears thoughtful for a long moment, but then a knowing, and yet mischievous smirk crosses his face. "ماذا لو قلت فوات الاوان. انه مات بالفعل." (What if I said you're too late? _He_ is already dead)

"بافتراض أنك وقول الحقيقة?" (Assuming you're telling the truth?) She poses evenly. "ثم ليس لدى اى سبب لك العيش" (Then I have no reason to let you live)

"سيمكنك قريبا لكم لم ياتوا الى هنا" (You will soon wish you had not come here) the Colonel says threateningly. "جب عليك تسليم الكريم لى عندما يكون لديك الفرصة" (You should have delivered Kareem to me when you had the chance)

"سنرى" (We'll see) Kensi replies calmly.

* * *

Down below in the lower level of the compound, Steve, Joe, and Danny are being lead through a dimly lit hallway towards a creepy looking rusted, wrought iron door at the far end. They've already been stripped of their gear at this point, and their hands are bound in front of them.

"I really don't like where this is headed." Danny remarks quietly.

"Just relax." McGarrett reassures him. "We're gonna be okay."

"Easy for you to say." Danny replies.

* * *

Somewhere else in the compound three other men are guiding the Humvee they acquired from Steve and his team into a garage area within the compound. To them it is a new toy to be exploited like any other. What they do not know is that underneath the vehicle, attached to its underside, is a small C-4 based bomb planted there as part of the plan by Steve McGarrett.

* * *

Colonel Rahman is staring at Kensi, thoughtfully, trying to decide what to do with her. Then an idea seems to pop into his head, and a fiendish grin crosses his lips. As is true to his nature the idea involves having his sick, twisted fun with the brunette beauty before killing her.

"لها أدناه. "الغرفة"." (Take her below. To the 'Chamber'.) The Colonel barks at his men, with a wave of his hand.

Kensi's Arabic, again, is rusty but she understands what's going on at this point, and she finds herself hoping that where these two men are taking her is where Deeks is too.

* * *

The three men from before are now laughing and having a good time as they explore the newly acquired Humvee, both inside and out. The man messing around on the driver's side suddenly stands up. He holds his hand up in the air, and in his hand he appears to be holding some fine cigars that were left inside the vehicle. He waves them around excitedly, and cheers loudly over his find.

Another man is kneeling on the ground on the passenger's side. He has decided to take a look underneath the vehicle. He rolls onto his back, and then slides himself under Humvee. The other men wait patiently for their friend to say something, but for a few long beats there is only silence.

"كل شئ طيب?" (Everything alright?) One man asks, leaning over a little bit towards the man underneath the Humvee.

The man underneath the Humvee is staring at the slowly ticking timer device on the bomb that he has just found, and beads of sweat roll across his face. The time on the device reads 15 seconds and counting.

"اصدقائى" (My friends) the man underneath the Humvee says in a tone of reverence. "وقد تم تكريم العاملين معك جميع" (It has been an honor serving with you all)

* * *

Down below in the lower level of the compound Steve, Joe, and Danny suddenly feel the immense shockwaves given off by an explosion coming from somewhere up above. The whole room seems to shake violently around them startling their captors, and Steve wastes no time in taking advantage of the situation.

Steve stands at the head of the line with one guy behind him. Danny is the third person in said line, and then behind him is an armed guy and then Joe at the end with his own personal armed guard.

Danny accidentally trips forward, and when Steve slams himself backwards into the armed man directly behind him, the force of the blow sends the man hurtling across a stooped over Danny, landing hard against his head on the ground.

"That looks like it hurt." Danny quips.

Joe spins to the side, and grabs the barrel of the third guards' assault rifle. He forces inward slamming it hard into the man's gut, doubling him over in pain. Then he raises the barrel upwards sharply, clocking the man in the head, and sending him toppling to the ground backwards.

Danny stands up, and tries to get his bearings. While doing this though, he misses the man approaching him from behind ready to attack.

"Danny, lookout!"

Suddenly Steve leaps onto the man's back, and wraps his arms around his throat. He pulls his arms tight then, in a scissor-like headlock. After a minute or so the man finally falls to his knees, and then slumps over onto his side unconscious.

"Everyone okay?" Steve asks, breathlessly, as he looks from Danny to Joe.

"Yeah. Just peachy." Danny replies, holding his hands up so that Steve can see they're still tied. "What was that anyway?" Danny asks, referring to the explosion.

"The explosion?" McGarrett asks, as his eyes wander over the now incapacitated bodies littering the floor at their feet. His gaze finally falls upon a knife clipped to the belt of one of the unconscious men on the floor. "Ah ha." He says, more to himself than the others.

"Yeah, the explosion. Wait, how do you know it was an explosion?"

"Easy." Joe replies, as McGarrett pilfers the knife off of the unconscious body. "He set it up." Joe nods towards McGarrett.

"Seriously?" Danny retorts. "So I take it that was 'Plan B'."

"Actually that was 'Plan A'." McGarrett informs his partner as he finally cuts through the remaining threads of the ropes binding his hands together.

"Plan A…seriously. You're telling me this now!? I though we went over 'Plan A' earlier…outside?" Danny fumes, disbelievingly.

"Nope, that was 'Plan B'." McGarrett replies. "Danny, I'm sorry. I lied." He adds, trying to suppress the smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

"This is unbelievable." Danny mutters as he holds his hands up for McGarrett to slice through the ropes around them.

"Look, we didn't have a choice." McGarrett reassures his partner. "We couldn't take any chances with this one. And I promise it won't happen again."

"Yeah, see there…that, I don't believe." Danny retorts.

"You don't?" McGarrett asks, slightly amused.

"Not for a second." Danny replies. "So what's phase two?"

"Phase two…we meet up with Kensi. Hopefully she'll have the 'package', and then we leave." McGarrett explains, very nonchalantly.

* * *

Kensi has been lead down to a separate section of the lower level, and she and her two guards have reached an open room, which leads off into a long, narrow hallway. At the end of said hallway is the room where Deeks is being held captive.

The sudden, violent shaking around them tells Kensi that the planned diversion has been activated. It is now time for her to act. The whole walk down she has been eying a combat knife strapped to the waist of the guard on her right.

Without warning Kensi snatches her arm away from the guard, and then elbows him in the gut. Next, she quickly seizes the combat knife from the sheath strapped to his waist, and spins it in her hand. Before the man can react to the woman, she stabs the blade of the knife into his chest. Blood oozes forth from the fresh wound as she removes the blade afterward. The man then falters backwards to the ground.

Kensi then turns on the other guard, repositioning the blade once more, and stabs him in the throat. He crumples to the ground in a heap, grasping at his throat, as blood spurts out from the wound. She does not hesitate, but immediately sprints off down the long hallway towards the room where Deeks is being held.

She makes it about half way down the corridor before a side door opens up on the right, and a lone sentry ambushes the female federal agent. She reacts quickly though, and manages to incapacitate the assailant fairly easily.

* * *

In the main area of the compound, Colonel Rahman is greatly upset by the explosion that has just taken place inside of his home. Several men come dashing into the room then, and two of them appear to be mildly injured.

"ما الذى حدث?" (What has happened?) Colonel Rahman asks angrily.

"هناك نوع من الانفجار ... جنوب شرق نهاية انهار" (There was some kind of explosion…The Southeast end has collapsed.) One of the men replies breathlessly.

Colonel Rahman seems to be deep in thought at this point. An expression of anger slowly spreads across his face as realization and understanding begin to set in.

"لقد خدع." (We've been fooled!) Colonel Rahman exclaims angrily. "لعثور عليهم. العثور عليها بقتلهم. اقتلهم جميعا!" (Find them. Find them, and kill them. All of them!)

* * *

Kensi reaches the door, and wraps her hand around the handle. She yanks open the door, and steps inside the dimly lit room beyond. Sitting at the center of the room, bound to a heavy wooden chair, is a dirty-looking, shaggy-haired man. Kensi swallows a lump in her throat as she moves towards him.

_Is he still alive?_

He is silent, and unmoving. She can tell from this angle that his once muscular frame has slightly diminished over the course of his time in captivity here. It is only once she finally reaches his side that she is able to hear his slow, rhythmic breathing.

She kneels down in front of him, and it seems as though he's not even aware of her presence in the room. She starts to undo the shackles around his ankles seconds later, and before she undoes the restraints around his wrists, a thought occurs to her. She raises her head and examines Deeks' dirty face, with locks of his hair matted to his forehead.

_In case we don't make it out of this._ She thinks to herself.

Her heart pounds like a thousand jungle drums in her chest as she slowly brings her lips up to his. She only lingers for a brief moment, before pulling back again. She swipes the back of her hand across her cheek to remove the stray tear there.

It only takes her a couple of seconds to undo the restraints around her partner's wrists, but as soon as she does, though, life seems to spring spontaneously into the unmoving body in front of her.

Her reflexes aren't enough to help evade the pair of hands that shoot out suddenly, and wrap themselves around her throat. She immediately feels his grip tightening around her, and the flow of air slowly being cut off.

"D-D-Deeks." She manages to croak out, as she claws at his strong hands. "Please, D-Deeks…I-It's me…K-Kensi." She feels the world around her beginning to grow darker and darker.

Then the hands around her throat suddenly loosen their grip. Air instantly rushes back into her body, and with it a feeling of relief.

"K-Kensi?" he asks in a quiet voice. His voice is dry, and harsh sounding when he speaks now. "Is it…is it really you?"

She nods. "It's me. I came to bring you ho-"

He doesn't let her finish her sentence though. He leans forward, and quickly wraps his arms around the brunette beauty, holding her firmly against him. He can tell by the feel of her that she is real.

The maneuver surprises Kensi at first, but she eventually returns the gesture. The sound of quiet sobs fill her ears as she listens to him finally breaking down after all this time.

"My God, Kensi." He mumbles. "It really is you."

"It's me. I'm here." She reassures him softly.

"I missed you so much. I was sure I'd never see you again." He tells her, as he pulls back to look her over. "I dreamed about this…this face. Every time I closed my eyes in this room." he admits, as he strokes a finger gently over her cheek.

"Deeks," Kensi struggles through her own tears now.

Deeks gently pulls her face up to his, and presses his lips to hers. Kensi's hand slowly snakes its way up to his face where she holds it firmly against his cheek. Neither one seems able to get enough of this moment.

Finally, however, they do part from one another. The two of them stare into each other's eyes for the longest moment before any words are spoken. "Deeks," Kensi says at last, having to swallow first to regain her voice. "We…we should get out of here." She tells him.

He nods, and then lets her carefully help him to his feet.

…TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

Partners

Chapter 11

Kensi and Deeks make their way out of the small room, and into the narrow hallway. Kensi shifts her weight slightly beneath the shaggy-haired man, and then after steadying herself once more the pair starts off again. Despite her partner's current condition, she knows they have to move quickly if they're to have any hope of actually escaping the compound alive.

"You're doing good." She says quietly to Deeks.

Deeks tries to laugh, but all that seems to come out is a dry cough. Still, Kensi seems to understand his intentions because she gives him a soft smile.

"What?" she asks, glancing up at the shaggy-haired man as she continues to drag the two of them onward down the hall.

"You." He says dryly. "You're a terrible liar, Fern." He says, managing a tiny grin.

"Hey, don't give up on me now, Partner." She says softly, as her eyes dart from side to side as they finally approach the wide opening at the end of the hallway.

"Have I ever?" he whispers.

Kensi's mind races over all of the times that Deeks has come through for her when things seemed to be at their darkest. He's always been there when she needed him most, and no distance has ever seemed far enough that he couldn't reach her. All in all he's proven himself to her more times than she can count since their partnership first began, and sometimes she wonders how one person, one man, could give so much and get so little in return.

"Never." She replies just as quietly.

* * *

They finally step out into the wide open area of the lower level, and Kensi knows for a fact that the exit back to the first level isn't too far away from where they are now. They just have to reach that, and then they're half way home.

"We're almost the-" she begins.

Suddenly an unseen enemy emerges from the shadows, and lunges towards Kensi and Deeks. The man utters a loud yell in his native tongue as he falls upon the unsuspecting pair, and before their eyes he produces a large combat-style knife. What's worse is, the man is aiming directly at Kensi.

Without hesitating for a second, the shaggy-haired man musters what little bit remains of his strength, and shoves the brunette beauty at his side out of the way. "Look out." He grunts as he shoves Kensi aside.

Kensi slides to the ground, and immediately flips herself over onto her back. She is completely aware of the fact that Deeks is now grappling with an armed terrorist who, at this point, has the advantage over the blond surfer.

"Deeks!" Kensi screams, quickly pulling herself back to her feet.

Deeks lets out a low yowl of pain as the blade of the other guys' knife slips partway into the flesh of his left side. His free hand immediately slides down to grip the hilt of the knife in an attempt to keep it from digging in any further. His other hand bawls into a fist, and he slams it hard into the man's ribs, and then his face.

The man falters backwards to the ground, and that's where Kensi takes over. She pounces faster than lightning, and before the man can react she has her arms around his neck. It only takes one, quick twist to snap the man's neck. Breathing heavily now, she quickly turns her attention back to her partner. She hears the knife clattering to the ground as she spins around, and before her eyes he begins to fall forward.

The female federal agent just barely manages to catch him in time, and it takes everything she's got to hold his weight. She feels Deeks' head come to rest against her shoulder, struggling for air, as he tries to speak.

"That sucked." He whispers.

She adjusts his body position so that he's resting against her, able to walk, but once again using her for support. Then together they hobble across the short distance to the nearest wall.

Kensi props her partner up against the stone wall, and immediately turns her attention to the wound in his side

"Damnit Deeks." She swears angrily, as she runs her hand over the gushing wound. "Why do you always have to play the hero?"

Exactly how far in the knife actually went is not something she can accurately gauge at this point, but from what she can see it is clear she'll have to patch it up somehow or he'll just continue to lose blood. She just prays there's no damage to any of his vital organs.

Deeks raises a hand to the brunette's cheek distracting her momentarily. "Hey, it's what I do." He tells her. "Besides, I thought women liked that kind of stuff." He says, attempting his usual humor.

"Only in one of your comic books, Deeks." She replies dryly, as she takes hold of his shirt.

Now she notices just how tattered his clothes are, and it only makes her feel that much worse about having left him here almost a month before. She clears her mind though, and quickly makes the decision to use the tattered rags to her advantage.

"Sorry about this." She apologizes, as she quickly rips several strips from what's left of his shirt. She ties the strips end to end extending the overall length, and ultimately giving her enough to wrap around his midsection at least a few times.

Deeks grunts as Kensi begins wrapping the makeshift bandage(s) around his midsection. With each pass he feels her applying more and more pressure the sight of the wound, and somewhere in the back of his mind he can't help but imagine her eventually cutting off the circulation to his lower body. He laughs to himself at the utterly absurd thought.

"There." She says at last, surveying her handiwork. "That should hold until we can get you to a hospital." She tells him.

A sound from somewhere off to the right suddenly catches their attention.

"Kens."

Kensi whips around with lightning speed, brandishing the knife she'd taken off one of the guards earlier. The knife leaves her hand, and sails across the room with such speed and finesse that one could hardly see it in the air in such dim lighting. The knife strikes the wall at the opening to the eastern-most corridor with a loud THWACK!

Fortunately, however, the three faces that greet her are not of enemies, and the one leading the group jerks reflexively to one side to avoid being hit by the knife.

"Oh, shit." She mouths, as feelings of chagrin and relief roll over her at the same time.

Danny notes to himself just how closely the weapon actually came to hitting Steve, who is walking just ahead of him, and a tiny smile crosses his face. "Should've aimed a little more to the left." Danny remarks humorously.

"Very funny." Steve mutters under his breath.

"I am so sorry." Kensi apologizes, as the three men approach her finally. "I didn't realize-"

"Don't worry about it." Steve tells her. "You two ready?"

"Yeah, I think so." Kensi replies, sharing a glance over her shoulder with her partner.

"Good. We found a way out back the way we came. The last door on the left leads to a stairwell, which leads up to the surface outside." Steve explains.

Kensi gives Steve a nod, and then turns around to help her partner back to his feet. "Danny, can you give me a hand?" she asks.

Danny moves quickly to help Kensi. "Sure thing." He replies. He lets Deeks drape one arm across his shoulder(s), and helps steady the shaggy-haired man.

"Alright, let's go." Kensi says at last.

Steve turns back towards the corridor, and nods towards Joe. "Go ahead of us and make sure the way is still clear."

* * *

A door opens to the outside of the compound a few minutes later. Joe steps out first, doing a quick sweep for nearby hostiles. Seeing no immediate threats he signals for the others down below to follow.

"All clear, let's go!"

Steve exits out into the bright, sunlit desert afternoon. He's cautious in his movements as he does a quick sweep with his own eyes. Then he turns and watches as Kensi and Danny slowly, but surely, emerge with Deeks still strung in between them.

As soon as they're out, Steve and Joe begin leading the way out over the never-ending sea of sand that stretches out before them. Their destination, once again, is the small, sandy hill they started out from. The ex-Navy Seal glances down at his watch quickly, as he moves, and notices the time.

"Ten minutes!" Steve yells to the older man moving around just ahead of him.

"They'll be here!" Joe yells back, somewhat confidently.

"They'd better be, or we'll miss our window!" Steve replies. After several minutes the group finally arrives at their preset rendezvous point. Now they just have to wait for their ride home to show up.

Danny and Kensi stand together, still holding Deeks up, while Steve and Joe set to work clearing sand away from a spot just a few yards from where they stand. A look of confusion crosses Danny's face as he watches the two other men at work. He isn't sure what they are doing, but it sure seems weird.

"What, uh, what are you guys doing?" Danny asks at last. "I mean, if its not too much trouble."

Steve looks over his shoulder at the sound of Danny's questioning. "Looking for this." He says, as he and Joe pull what appears to be a small metallic chest from the beneath the sand. The two men set the chest out in the open for the others to see after a minute or so.

"What is _that_?" Danny asks, still not quite understanding what's going on.

Steve wastes no time in opening the small, metallic chest and retrieving the object that lies within. As he holds the device in his hands it leaves no doubt as to what it is for. It is a radio. "_This_ is our ride home." Steve explains, as he flips the radio on and begins searching for the correct frequency. As he does this, Joe stands up and begins to search the skies for signs of their 'ride'.

"I don't remember that being there earlier." Danny comments.

"I buried it here before they escorted us to the compound." Steve explains.

"Again, I do not remember seeing you do that." Danny points out.

"Oh, well, you would have…had you been paying attention." Steve remarks.

"Oh, okay. I see. Well, I have to say I'm very glad to hear you say that." Danny remarks, an expression of relief and understanding painted across his features.

Steve lets out a low chuckle. "That a fact?"

"It is."

Joe turns to look at Danny with a mischievous glint in his eye(s). "What's the matter? Too much 'vacation'?"

Danny shakes his head at the older man's obvious amusement at the situation. "Yes, as a matter of fact it has been. This is actually the _worst_ vacation I've ever been on…and that's saying a lot considering I was once left adrift at sea by a crazed boatjacker." As his sentence trails off, he can't help but throw a dirty look towards his partner.

Steve laughs at Danny's mention of their deep-sea fishing outing, and how horribly wrong it went for them. "Good times, huh partner?" he says with a grin.

"Yeah, for you maybe." Danny retorts.

Steve finally gets the radio tuned right, and within seconds of doing so a voice is heard over the airwaves.

"_Mother goose to hatchling. Hatchling, do you copy?"_ the voice on the radio says through the static. _"Mother goose to Hatchling…"_

"Mother goose, this is Hatchling." Steve says, speaking into the radio's transmitter. "We read you loud and clear."

"_That's good to hear Hatchling. Good to hear."_ An excited voice replies over the radio.

"Mother goose, what's your ETA?" Steve asks at once.

_ETA…3 minutes."_

"SHIT!" Joe exclaims suddenly, as he quickly begins to make his way towards the other side of the small hill (the side facing back towards the compound). "We've got company!" He raises his weapon in preparation of having to defend himself.

"Damn." Steve swears under his breath, as he follows Joe's gaze out across the sands to a pair of jeeps rolling quickly in their direction. The jeeps appear to be full of armed men, and leading them is none other than Colonel Rahman himself. "Mother goose, we may not have 3 minutes here. Hostiles moving in to engage from the South."

"_We copy that, Hatchling,_ _just hold out till we get there. We're on our way."_

The sound of gunfire instantly sets Steve into defensive mode, and without a word he drops the radio into the sand and grabs up his assault rifle. He runs forward, towards Joe, and the two begin to throw out cover fire together.

"You three get back!" Steve yells in passing. "Get out of sight."

A bullet whizzes past, and just narrowly misses hitting Danny's ear. This spooks the former NYPD Detective almost instantly. "Geez, son of a-" he starts, angrily. "You know, normally I don't mind being shot at, but that's back home. This is different." He remarks, more to himself than to anyone else.

That's when a rather unpleasant sound fills his ears next. CLICK! Danny looks over his shoulder as he and Kensi hurriedly drag Deeks out of the danger zone. "What was that!? That didn't sound good?"

Steve appears to swear under his breath, and then a few seconds later throws his gun to the ground angrily. "Out of ammo." He says, looking up at Joe.

Joe finally turns to Steve, dropping his own gun to the ground at that point, and the two exchange a worried look. "Me too." Joe says, as his gun falls to the ground at his feet.

"Shit." Steve says, as he turns and makes a bee line for the radio, which is still laying where he left it in the sand. He dives towards it, and takes it in his hands as quickly as he can. "Mother goose, where the hell are yo-"

Suddenly a helicopter zooms by over their heads, and seems to be headed towards the two oncoming jeeps.

* * *

There are two slightly older men in the helicopter. One of these men is actually piloting the craft, and the other one is busily playing with some kind of weapon in the back. Closer inspection of said weapon reveals that it is an RPG.

"Ready!?" the pilot yells back to his cohort.

"Locked and loaded, baby!" the second man yells back.

The pilot pulls the chopper around so that his partner has a clear shot at their targets. "Go for it!"

The second man then moves forward to the helicopter's side opening, and rests the RPG on his shoulder. It only takes him a second to find his mark before firing the weapon, and then a few seconds later the ear-splitting sound of a loud explosion fills the air around them. "Nice."

* * *

Down below, Steve, Joe, Danny, Kensi (and Deeks) watch in amazement as the jeep carrying Colonel Rahman suddenly explodes into a massive fireball of shrapnel. The second jeep immediately turns around, and peels away fast as lightning in the opposite direction.

A wide grin spreads across Joe's face at that point. He had never doubted that his two old friends would come through when they needed them. "Told you they'd come." He says to Steve.

Steve nods in agreement. "Next stop…"

"Home." Danny says, finishing his partner's sentence.

…TBC…

**Author's Note: Okay, so just a heads up guys—the next chapter picks up in Hawaii where Deeks is taken for medical attention and to recuperate before heading back to L.A. We will also see some really good DENSI scenes as well. Hope you guys will join me for the fun **


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note 1: Okay, so first I just want to thank all of my loyal readers for all of the comments/reviews, and in general, all of the love. It really means a lot to me, and it makes me seriously want to keep writing this stories about everyone's favorite 'NCIS: LA' characters/partners. That said, I hope you guys are ready for this. Enjoy **

**Author's Note 2: So just a heads up for those of you in the 'know'. For this chapter, yes, I did pull another one of my favorite shows into the mix, but only just for fun. I know, I'm weird like that hahaha-Enjoy the story though. **

Partners

Chapter 12

"So you don't deny it?" the well-groomed, middle-aged man on the huge plasma screen questions, narrowing his eyes at the Assistant Director of NCIS suspiciously. The suave-looking man is the Director of the CIA—Arthur Campbell.

Owen Granger stands in the high-tech communication center that is MTAC, located within the walls of the NCIS Headquarters in scenic Washington D.C. He is alone, for the most part, despite being surrounded by the necessary technical specialists responsible for maintaining the facility. Director Vance is still way on his European junket, and therefore Granger still remains in charge of things pending said Director's return.

The Assistant Director's main focus here now is 'damage control', and going by appearances he seems to be up to his elbows in the mess created by the actions of certain members of his agency. Yet, despite all of this, his outward demeanor reflects that of say a man in a coma.

"If your intelligence is as accurate as you claim, then what purpose would a denial serve here? Sir?" Granger replies coolly.

"Touché." Campbell mumbles unhappily. "This whole thing has been one disastrous screw-up after another." He states evenly. "And your agency is mostly to blame for this mess."

"I agree." Granger says in agreement. There would be no point in disagreeing as, again, denying NCIS's involvement at this point could only hurt their case. "But with all due respect, Mr. Director, I would like to point out that the professionalism displayed by _your_ agency hasn't been quite up to par either."

Campbell scoffs, and averts his eyes from the screen as he shifts a small stack of papers around on his desktop. "That's beside the point." Campbell replies calmly. "I'll deal with my people how I see fit, and I suggest that you put some serious thought into your future at NCIS, and whether it's worth having those loose-cannon agents working for you."

Granger appears to go stiff at the CIA Director's thinly veiled threat. "Is that a threat?" he asks, maintaining his calm composure.

"I confided in you, Owen." Campbell reminds the NCIS Assistant Director. "I trusted you, remember that?"

Granger reigns in an amused expression, and shifts slightly where he stands. "If you're under the impression that I leaked information about your operation…I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken, Mr. Director." He explains coolly.

"Then explain it to me, please? How did your people know where to find our asset? If not you, then who?" Arthur Campbell's voice rises only slightly as he speaks, but his eyes burn with a flaring intensity that could sear right through a lesser man.

"You crossed Henrietta Lange, Arthur." Granger says pointedly, his voice somewhat lower than before. "And you and I both know how well that usually ends."

"She blew a major CIA operation, Owen. Both she and her team." Campbell fumes. "Hetty or not, she had no right."

Granger tips his head in a slight nod. "She feels responsible for those who work under her." He explains. "She _cares_."

"But, this—this guy they were after, he wasn't even an Agent." Campbell points out to Granger.

"Doesn't matter," Granger tells him. "He's part of her team."

Arthur Campbell lets out a long sigh and lifts a hand to rub the bridge of his nose in contemplation of his next words. "So where does this leave us, then?" he asks, tiredly. "These kinds of rogue actions are what causes entire nations to fall, and we certainly can't have that, now can we?"

"No, we can't." Granger says in agreement. "But, given the circumstances I think maybe it would be wise to back off—for now."

"You can't be serious?" Campbell questions incredulously.

"I am." Granger replies, standing his ground firmly. "Arthur, I think we both need to step back and give both of our agencies time to assess the full extent of the damage. I'm sure, given some time, that we can come to some sort of agreement that could potentially benefit all parties involved."

After a long moment of quiet thought, the CIA Director finally nods in agreement with Owen Granger's suggestion. He isn't exactly thrilled about it, but it does make some sense though. "Fine. I'll concede this round to you, Owen. But this isn't over." With the CIA Director's last words the screen almost immediately switches to static.

Granger hangs his head in silence for a moment, and then finally turns towards the stairs leading out of MTAC. "This is gonna be a long night." He mutters to himself.

* * *

Two weeks have passed since their arrival in Hawaii, and one week has passed since Deeks was released from the hospital into Kensi's capable care. The passage of time up to this point has been painfully slow, and anything but easy for either of them. Deeks started having episodes shortly after being admitted to the hospital, and with them came the inability to sleep through the night and at times keep a meal down for very long.

Kensi reached out to a friend then for help, and true to form Nate Getz arrived on their island within just days of being requested. Though the lovable 'head-shrinker', as Kensi affectionately dubbed him, was only with them for the first weekend his time with Deeks seems to have helped a great deal.

She now knows that Deeks is suffering from a mild form of PTSD, brought on by his time in captivity, and that while it may never completely go away—it can be managed. Furthermore, even though Kensi is not privy to all of the details, she has heard Deeks mention something about his 'happy place' on more than one occasion since the sessions with Nate. She has made a point of not bringing it up though, or pressing him to talk whenever it does come up.

Their stay here in Hawaii has been cleared with Hetty, who promised to take care of everything back home until they returned. She even offered Deeks a new job as well, provided he decided that he wanted it, and could pass all of the necessary tests included in the screening process.

The thing that Kensi is most grateful for at this point is that Deeks finally seems to be sleeping longer and longer through the night. This is a good thing because she knows a good night's rest is a major part of any healing process. Besides, she isn't sure how much more she can actually take of him waking up in the middle of the night, dazed and tormented by whatever visions happened to be plaguing his dreams. The truth is while it's surely been a nightmare for Deeks, for Kensi it's been utterly heartbreaking to see him this way.

Still, the last few nights have been the best so far, and Kensi is really hoping that it becomes a lasting trend.

It is nighttime in the Hawaiian Islands now, and somewhere inland in a small, fairly secluded cabin the partners lie in bed together fast asleep. The cabin was loaned to the pair courtesy of their Five-0 friends. The shaggy-haired surfer lies on his back only covered partly by the top sheet, while Kensi lies with her head resting against her partner's chest. Deeks wears nothing but pajama bottoms here, and Kensi is comfortable in just a t-shirt and panties.

Nothing has happened, really, between the pair, but their relationship has taken a big, somewhat natural turn in the time since they left Iraq. Kensi no longer seems quite so intent on keeping her 'personal space' free and clear at all times. This is made evident by how frequently she now lets Deeks invade said privacy, and she's also taken to making a game of it at times as a way of lightening the mood when needed.

On the other side of the coin, Deeks' usual witty comebacks and flirtatious banter now often carries with it more serious undertones, and as an added bonus he seems more comfortable leaning on her for support. This in combination with Kensi's gradually lowering shield has helped the couple greatly in easing into the new relationship that neither can quite avoid at this point.

The only sound that fills the tiny, single bedroom comes from the steady, rhythmic breathing of its occupants. It is a peaceful night, all in all, and thus far both have managed to sleep quite soundly. This is quite surprising given the over all hectic nature of the previous day. Still, all seems well for the moment.

A sudden movement in the darkened room comes when Deeks unconsciously wraps a somewhat possessive arm around his partner. Kensi shifts slightly under the new source of warmth that comes over her, and as a result presses herself even closer to her partner.

* * *

Morning comes in the form of a bright, beautiful Hawaiian day. A gentle breeze drifts through the room from an open window, which of course has a screen over it to prevent any bugs or critters from gaining entry to the cabin. Sunlight also pours into the room through the slightly parted curtains hanging in front of windows on the adjacent wall.

Kensi stirs gently against a beam of light that has settled over her face, and the slight breeze gives her a bit of a chill. She turns over and pulls her pillow over her head, and the top sheet further up her body.

"Deeks…" she moans from beneath the pillow. "Could you close the curtains please?"

No answer. Now Kensi is feeling a little more alert than before, as she slowly lifts the pillow away from her head. "Deeks?"

A muffled, repetitive 'Thud Thud' sound suddenly grabs her attention, and the female federal agent jerks upright in the bed. Her eyes tell her that Deeks is _not_ in bed any longer, and the sound she's hearing seems to be coming from the bathroom. Worried, she snatches the sheet(s) away from her body, and pulls herself out of bed heading in the direction of the bathroom.

"Deeks!" she calls out to her partner.

She pushes open the bathroom door, and gasps at the sight beyond. She finds Deeks standing naked and soaking wet in the shower, though no water is running at present, and banging his fist hard against the tiled, shower wall over and over again. The look of torment painted across his face is enough, even from a distance, to rattle the usually unshakable female federal agent.

"Deeks." Kensi gasps, as she darts towards him.

She steps into the shower and wraps her arms around the muscular man, and tries to pull him away from his destructive activity. "Deeks, snap out of it." She pleads with the shaggy-haired man. The contact between them leaves her clothes sopping wet as a result.

He grunts and tries to free himself from the female federal agent's hold.

"Deeks, remember what Nate said-" she tries.

Suddenly though he spins around to face her, freeing himself of her grip, and with one hand pins her to the far wall of the shower. The motion is swift and his grip is firm, but he in no way hurts her.

"-go to your 'happy place'." She finishes, staring back at the shaggy-haired man poised to strike her at any moment.

The expression on Deeks' face goes from one of confused anger to one of painful realization in a split second. He opens his mouth to speak a minute later, but no words come out at first. Kensi can see the fresh tears playing at the corners of his Pacific Ocean blue eyes. This isn't the first time he's had an episode of this nature since his escape from captivity, but each one seems to leave him emotionally distraught and visibly ashamed of himself.

"Kensi, I wouldn't-" he starts. "I couldn't have-"

Kensi moves towards him, and wraps her arms around him in a soothing, reassuring manner. "Shhhh, it's okay. I know you wouldn't have." She assures him, and the weight of her words when she speaks then openly shows just how far they've come in their relationship. She closes her own eyes for a second, and lets fresh tears streak down her tanned cheeks.

"I'm so sorry." She says apologetically in a low whisper. "I should've been here…with you." She tells him, as she rubs a hand gently up and down his back. He remains silent for the most part.

Looking past him, at last, Kensi notices a light, red smear on the shower wall near the spot that Deeks had been punching only seconds before. She quickly realizes that the stain is blood—_his_ blood.

"Deeks." She gasps once again, as she pulls back from him. She lifts his right arm up and inspects the hand, and to her horror she finds the area around his knuckles bloody and worn raw. Her mind reels at the sight, and she can't help but wonder at all the things he must've endured to make him this way.

New tears stream down her cheeks, and she shakes her head in disgust with herself. "I'm so sorry."

Deeks wants desperately to say something, anything, to make her feel better, but he knows that nothing he can say will be quite enough. "Kens." He tries, but nothing else follows.

After a moment Kensi wipes her eyes with the back of her hand, and brings her face up to his at last. "We should clean this up." She says, motioning to his bloody knuckles.

Deeks nods in silent agreement.

* * *

The partners sit together in the bathroom as Kensi works on cleaning and dressing Deeks' hand. Deeks sits on the toilet, and Kensi sits back on her knees in the floor in front of him. He at least has a towel wrapped around his waist at this point, but Kensi remains in her newly soaked t-shirt and panties. She had been too worried about her partner's hand to really care much about her own appearance.

The mood around them seems to have eased up a bit in the little time since the earlier incident. This is something that has sort of become a part of their ritual now. Whenever Deeks goes through one of his episodes, she brings him out of it, and helps him to calm back down, and then afterwards they don't really talk about it (much), and somehow they end up laughing or doing something silly. She knows it's just his way of distracting his brain and preventing himself from having to face the horror that hides within, but she doesn't care—at least he's not locked in a room somewhere alone helplessly moping around. They have found that somehow it seems to work out better (for both of them) this way. So why question it?

"You know, I dreamed about you last night." He tells her, keeping his eyes trained on his hand. "It was kind of like this, actually." He adds, letting his eyes drift slowly upwards over her wet body.

"Really?" she can tell he's eying her, and given her current state she's sure he's enjoying himself. But that's fine with her, she's already seen him naked once or twice now and admittedly the sight always gives her goose bumps.

He nods carefully. "Yeah, you were wet, like now, but we weren't in a bathroom."

"Oh, and where were we then, exactly?" she asks, trying to avoid direct eye contact because she knows if she doesn't she'll just start laughing way too soon.

"Down at the beach." He replies, trying to sound cool and casual. "And you were…" he trails off for a beat as his mind drifts back to the dream. He clears his throat seconds later, and tries to cover himself quickly. "Um, er, Y-you were…You were…"

"Shaking my ass in your face?" she says humorously, arching a brow at her partner.

Deeks lets out a soft laughter that fills Kensi's ears like sweet music. "So we both had the same dream then?" he quips, flashing her that adorable lop-sided grin of his.

She laughs at the expression on his face, and at the same time steadies his hand in her grip once more. Then she seems to fall silent again, and this kind of scares Deeks. It makes him instantly afraid that he's crossed a line.

"Kens, I didn't mean-" he tries quickly, but then stops short when he sees the sly grin beginning to spread across her lips. Realization falls over him in an instant, and a chuckle escapes his throat. "Oh, you are so evil." He tells her in a low voice.

Kensi laughs at herself. She really had him going there for a second. She finishes the dressing on Deeks' hand, and then takes a few seconds to inspect her handiwork. Neither one has really spoken yet, both are aware of the fact that they soon will have to. She carefully turns his bandaged hand in her own as she checks for any lose pieces or uncovered openings, but finding none eventually leaves her satisfied with the job she has done.

"All done." She says, looking up from Deeks' bandaged hand.

"Fern," he says admiring her bandage work for himself. "You're in the wrong line of work."

Kensi grins. "Are you saying I should've been a doctor?"

"Sure, except, instead of a white lab coat—maybe you could wear one of those real sexy nurse outfits like the ones they sale at that place over on Anderson street back in L.A."

"Deeks!" she lets go of a laugh and slaps his chest playfully. "There's hardly anything to them." She laughs. "You'd be able to see everything."

"Exactly." Deeks replies with a wink. Then something strikes him at that moment. "Wait, hold on a second—how do you know that?" he asks, suspiciously.

"I, uh, I just assumed." She tries.

"Nice try Fern. Spill."

"Fine." She says, trying to hide a smirk, but failing miserably. "I was supposed to go to this Halloween party last year, and I needed a costume. I may have tried on a few things there, you know, for fun." She explains, a mischievous glimmer suddenly visible in her eyes.

He leans forward and plants a quick, gentle peck against his partner's lips. "I'm hurt princess. You should've invited me, I could've kept you company." He says with a wink.

Kensi returns the gesture, and smiles against his lips. "We would've had so much fun." She teases, before planting another kiss against his lips.

Deeks laughs at his partner as he stands to his feet, pulling her up with him at the same time. "Oh, you have no idea." He tells her, as he pulls the beautiful brunette into his arms. He waits for her to protest, but she does not. So he continues.

"Lucky for you, Fern, I might be in the mood for some _fun_." He teases, as he runs his teeth gently across her collarbone.

Kensi feels butterflies invading her stomach at this point, and it startles her a little bit. Until now, she never realized that anyone could make her feel this way, and what he's suggesting—could it really be? Is this really happening?

"I-I guess I could be persuaded." She replies, trying to sound cool. "For a price."

Deeks pulls back a little bit, and looks at the woman in his arms. A small grin plays across his face as he stares into her mismatched eyes. "Whatdya say we go back to bed, and discuss your terms there?"

"Sounds like an offer I'd be foolish to refuse." She replies softly in his ear.

They both know, and understand, that their relationship won't be an easy one by any means. Especially with everything he still has left to deal with and work through. They are confident though, that it is a storm they can _and will_ weather together. _Together._

…The End…

**Author's Note: Okay, I know that some of you guys are probably thinking 'wtf' right now, but here me out a second, please? I ended it this way so that I would have some really juicy territory to cover in the sequel which will see its first chapter posted by, at least, tomorrow evening—if not sooner. I hope that you guys will join me for the next leg of this Densi journey, and I promise you all this is to be one of those times when the sequel is actually better than the original. **

**P.S. The title of the sequel, so you all can be on the lookout for it, is **_**L.A. Blow(Back)**_**.**


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